Inside the Dragon's Den
by LittleRuky
Summary: The news that shook the world had been the catalyst to the biggest movement incited by only one person that was supposedly dead.But Strawhat Luffy has friends and enemies that doubt that to the very core and even without memories he still earns himself allies from every possible social class including the World's Nobles. Now they have to somehow save him without a war breaking out.
1. Chapter 1

DISPAIR

* * *

"But father! I want him!" The shrieking voice was accompanied by a flailing of arms.

"Hm? But you have already an army of slaves, my dear. Why would you need such a scrawny boy?"

The young woman turned around, a hand going to her forehead dramatically. "I am not sure myself father. I've been quite taken with him for _months_." The accentuated word served only to underline the seriousness of the situation.

The older man blinked, his face showing an interested expression, though his eyes held a bored light.

"Are you sure this is what you want, my dear? Remember he is a pirate. He cannot become one of us."

His explanation fell on deaf ears. The red haired woman allowed herself a grin, before she turned around, her expression melting into an innocent one.

"But no one has to know father! Besides, I _will_ transform him into one of us. Please believe in your beloved daughter!" She clasped her hands, trembling for effect.

The older man studied her for a minute more before he nodded slowly, albeit hesitantly. The red head whooped on the inside, patting herself on the back for a farce well done.

* * *

"WHAT?!" A lava fist collided with the wooden table, instantly melting it. The man behind the table sat up so quickly, the piled reports flew off.

"You are to take down the Strawhats and do exactly as I tell you. I will inform the reporters in the Marine's place. Understood, Fleet Commander Sakazuki?"

Sakazuki gritted his teeth hard. _Damn them all._

"Understood."

* * *

 _"The Strawhat crew was captured!"_

The news made the plaza feel smaller than it should have. A deep silence permeated every ounce of space, making even the frivolous sound of waves lapping the shore feel like an important anchor to reality.

Young and old people stood completely still, their faces a mixture of disbelief and confused relief. No one had been prepared for the news the News Coo would bring. It had been a normal day until then.

"It appears that it's true, sir." A deep, rough voice spoke slowly next to a man lounging on a nearby boulder. He was reading from the newspaper that arrived that morning and was the reason for this situation.

 _ **STRAWHAT LUFFY DEAD-THE STRAWHAT CREW CAPTURED**_

The title on the cover page glared at him and he glared right back. Bored eyes lifted from the printed paper to gaze at the market in front of them.

" _Is this the end of the line for one of the most notorious crews from the Worst Generation_?" His companion snorted quietly. The man had to agree.

 _That bloody bastard._

Lifting himself up from the rock, he dusted off his fur coat and took a long drag from his cigar. Black eyes shined with unrestrained irritation for the situation.

The bulkier man lifted his head, an inquiring expression passing through his eyes before they became blank again. "Sir?"

"Damn that Mugiwara. There he goes putting me in the most uncomfortable situation." The man sighed, hands on his hips.

"It appears they've been sent to Impel Down."

" _Obviously_ , idiot." A moment of silence passed between them before he spoke again. "I don't like it, but-"

"But it appears that we don't have a choice anymore." His companion interrupted looking at his boss. The man wouldn't have cared in the past, but after their tangles with the black haired boy something had changed.

Crocodile was usually a reserved man, but now he was even more reserved. Though that didn't mean anything. His boss would never let himself be dragged down by promises.

"We have." The man agreed. "But I ain't gonna stand around and do nothing while he's dead." Another puff of smoke followed.

A ghost of a smile passed on Mr. 1's face.

"We've gotta go celebrate. And then go laugh at them." Crocodile threw his head back, releasing a bark of laughter.

* * *

"This is some news." Rayleigh released a tired sight. His eyes hadn't moved from the article ever since it arrived that morning.

Shakky's smile was grim. "The better question would be _how_ did they manage to capture them. Those kids are powerful."

Rayleigh's chuckle was laced with irony. " _Sakazuki_ of all people went and led the attack. With a fleet."

Black eyes slid over the paper, before returning to stare at the other. "It doesn't say anywhe-"

"Of course it doesn't!" His exclamation caused the woman's eyes to widen. "Those damn bastards would never say such a degrading thing."

"Rayle-"

"I'm wondering if they are alright, that's all." Fingers brushed through grey locks.

"I'm sure they are." Shakky's voice held renewed belief. "Those kids are survivors."

A small smile graced the former pirate's features. "But for how long."

It was a statement met with silence.

* * *

"Luffy!" The black haired woman gave a shrill cry, startling everyone in the room.

Hancock read the article over and over, silently praying that it was a joke, trap, _anything_!

"Sister..." Sandersonia looked unsure. She reached out to comfort her older sister, but a snake stick stopped her.

Elder Nyon shook her head, silently beckoning everyone out of the room.

"We will talk after you regain your senses." The older woman closed the door behind her with an echoing booming sound.

* * *

"I'mma kill 'em." Smoker growled under his breath. He took a drag from his cigars trying his best to keep himself from destroying anything too important.

"Smoker-san please calm down." Tashigi admonished with a grim downturn of the lips, her face set in a determined expression. "This was how it was supposed to be."

"How's that make any sense?!" The white haired man barked. "That bastard Sakazuki just took my prey!"

"This sounds a little off, but I completely agree with you." The black haired woman crossed her arms. "But now it's over."

Her superior gave her a look. "Those bastards only called their loyal dogs. Like hell I'm going to stand around like an idiot."

* * *

"Ha, the bastard got himself killed. Well," Buggy did a pirouette and posed, "I say he deserved it!"

His laughter was echoed by the crowd of partying pirates below.

"Let's start this party!"

"Oi, Buggy." Mr. 3 yelled, his voice barely heard over the ruckus.

"What?" The clown scrunched his nose, clearly not happy with the interruption.

"There's a message for you from The Dark King." The bespectacled man looked a little unsure.

Buggy paled. Then he began flailing around. "Nope, I'm not home. Tell 'im I'm not home!"

The others watched the spectacle with growing fascination. Mr. 3 could only feel irritation.

"Just read the damn message!"

* * *

The raven head on the hospital bed groaned, trying to open his tired eyes. His eyelids felt like bricks and he couldn't feel his tongue. Or the rest of his body.

He groaned again, just to be sure. Then he blinked his eyes open to an infernal beam of light assaulting his retina. There was a shuffle of footsteps before a red form entered his blurry eyesight. In his numb state of mind, the young man could only think one word before darkness claimed him once again.

 _Fire?_

* * *

A sudden shrill tore through the air, successfully waking the young man up. This time, his eyes met with a dim light. After a couple of minutes, a ceiling could be discerned through the fog. He tried to lift his arms up but found he couldn't. Then he tried his head, but only managed a few centimeters before he dropped it back down, exhausted.

"Lucy-kun, are you awake?"

The teen blinked in confusion. He did not recognize the name nor the voice. Suddenly, the same red hair entered his vision. He saw her this time.

The girl towering over him had her hair tied up in a loose bun, red as furious flames. There was a light purple material covering her mouth and her eyes were almost white and she gazed down at him in worry.

"How are you feeling?" Her voice was smooth and calm, her stare never leaving him.

"I... I-m... go-od?" His voice was so croaked, he almost cringed. The girl didn't seem to mind.

She released a soft giggle and disappeared from his field of vision for a moment before returning with a glass of water.

"Here you go."

Water never felt so good.

"Do you want to sit up?"

The black haired boy nodded his head fervently, making it hurt a little.

"I don't..." He began uncertainly, "Feel my body." His tone was a mix between disappointed and scared.

The girl giggled again. "Sorry." She threw him an apologizing smile. "They put you under too many sedatives, but you were badly injured."

The patient nodded his head, taking in the barely furnished, white room and her white dressed form. Those clothes did not suit her, Lucy concluded. His gaze went to his own form and he noticed the white bandages covering every patch of skin visible.

His mind went on to the subject of what happened to him, but it came up blank. He couldn't remember anything, not even who he was or where he came from. Did he even have a home?

Hesitantly, he looked over to the younger woman, still smiling at him. She was waiting patiently for him to speak. Lucy was not sure what had happened, but he decided to just begin with a small step.

"Who are you?"

He blinked when she laughed again. "You find yourself in the hospital and you question _this_?"

Red locks shook as she continued to laugh. The black haired teen felt his cheeks flush. Well, now that she said it, he didn't think it through.

"My name is Ivy. It's nice to meet you, again."

Lucy mirrored her smile, though he was confused by the last part of her sentence. "Yeah, me too. Uh." How come he only realized now that he didn't remember his name.

"Lucy."

Large, black eyes blinked up at her.

"Your name is Lucy."

The name brought a pang through his chest and head but he squished them down, trying not to look as bad as he felt. He still had to search for answers. Gripping the sheets tightly, he fixed his eyes on the white material covering his form. It wasn't a bad name, though he didn't remember ever hearing it before.

"You look tired. I will let you sleep." Ivy stood up, straightening her clothes.

"No!" His outburst surprised them both. The girl smiled sweetly.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. You should sleep, it will make you feel better."

With those words, she took her leave.

Lucy gazed at his bandages, hoping that they would have the answers to all the questions running through his mind. It was making his head hurt. Maybe he should sleep. Sighing in defeat, the teen slumped down on the bed, his mind still reeling. But the answers never came.

* * *

The white ceiling almost shined in the sunlight, reflecting onto the white walls. His white sheets were crumpled, half on the floor from his unusual sleeping positions. The white bandages from the day before were squeezing the life out of him.

White, white, white. _Everything_ was white.

He was starting to think his skin was as white as those damned walls. Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know how he looked like. Did he even have a nose? He should've, since he kept scrunching it because of the damn smell. He didn't like it in the least!

His eyes went to gaze through the window but he only saw a white wall, probably from the building next to the hospital he was in. Lucy swore under his breath. He was starting to hate this color.

He wondered how much time he had to stay in this white inferno and prayed to all the gods out there that it won't be for long. He will go crazy at this rate. Lucy didn't even know how many days he had been there for.

Ten, twenty, _years?!_ , a hysteric side of his mind supplied. His only reference point was the guy clothed in _white_ that gave him those strange injections. His resistance was for naught, so he complied in the end. So far, the guy came four times and he never talked. Just stabbed him and left.

 _Bastard._

"You are awake." Her voice snapped him from his dark thoughts and he wiped his head to look at her. The flaming red of her hair was a nice change from the blasted white. "How are you feeling?"

"Good." Lucy nodded, smiling back. Ivy made her way inside, taking a seat on the chair besides his bed.

The two stood in silence for a while, black eyes gazing absently at the white again. Lucy didn't know how to begin. He had so many questions he felt like his head was going to burst at this rate. Though he didn't recognize the girl next to him, she seemed to know him well. But a small part of him still remained reserved and untrusting. He had felt something was off ever since he woke up in this white nightmare.

"You'll be discharged tomorrow."

Her words brought him back to reality and he wiped his head to look at her with wide, hopeful eyes that made her giggle softly. "You are really cute with that face, you know."

Her teasing tone made him duck his head in embarrassment. It didn't last long.

"Finally! I thought I would die from boredom in this room." Lucy exhaled, feeling his body finally relax. The news that he will be able to leave this damned room and see the outside world brought a wave of unexpected hope in him.

"Say, how long was I here?" He eyed the red head with pure curiosity.

"Almost one month. Your injuries were worse than we first thought."

Lucy nodded his head, a determined feeling settling in his chest. He wasn't sure what had happened to him, but he will find out and try to remember everything that had happened. He owed himself that much.

* * *

 _BALTIGO_

On an uninhabited island in the New World, a blonde haired young man was currently having an important discussion with his superior.

"But Dragon-san! Why can't I-"

"Because we need your powers here. I am not going to let you go in there alone and die like an idiot, Sabo." The black haired man threw his Chief of staff a look one would give to an impertinent kid. It made Sabo cringe but he didn't back down.

"It's almost been a month! There hasn't been any sign of him, they didn't even find his body, I-I-" The blonde gestured with his hands wildly, his tone gaining a hysteric shade. "I have to find him! Even if he's..."

The rest of the sentence died along with his voice. Sabo did not dare meet Dragon's eyes, instead opting to gaze at the amazing stone floor. Someone should clean it better.

"I know how you feel Sabo." The older man sighed, and turned to gaze out the window. "But you must understand that you play a big role on this world's stage."

The blonde was about to refute, but Dragon didn't let him.

"Ace," The name brought a pang of pain in Sabo's chest. "Luffy... they had played their parts. You cannot let yourself be dragged down because they died."

"But it's not fair!" His reply made him feel eleven again.

"Nothing is fair in this filthy world." The revolutionary turned back, eyes narrowed, face devoid of expression. "That is the worst argument you could have given me. This chat is over."

The finality his voice signaled no further chance of changing his mind.

Lips pressed in a tight line, the blonde haired man let his hat shadow his eyes, fists clenched at his side.

 _I've finally saw you again and then you go die on me, both of you. How is that fucking fair?!_

"Ivankov-san is back!"

A soldier yelled from the open door. Both men looked up at him silently. Dragon started towards the entrance to greet his colleague with Sabo following him hesitantly.

"Dragon, Sa-boy, I was just about to start searching for you." The purple haired man crossed his arms over his chest, none of the usual cheerfulness present on his face today.

Both men braced themselves for the inevitable bad news. The unrest was accentuated by his next words.

"I need to speak with you in private."

"What do you think it's about?" Koala whispered to Hack. The fishman watched his comrades depart with a blank expression. He shrugged.

"If it's important we'll find out sooner or later."

* * *

"What happened, Ivankov?" Dragon was the first to break the silence. His friend sighed.

"About what happened a month ago..." Black eyes blinked in surprise when the head of the revolutionaries rolled his eyes in exasperation and his chief of staff threw him a dirty look from under his hat.

"I'm tired of that subject, if you've got nothing else important to say besides Luffy's death then-"

Sabo opened his mouth but the man in front of him beat him to it.

"Ah, that wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about." Ivankov shook his head. He reached inside his cape and took out a white envelope, placing it on the table.

Dragon raised an eyebrow, demanding an explanation.

"They are attempting to gather." The purple haired man chuckled. "Though I am concerned about what the end result will be."

"And?"

"Wait, who are _they_?" The blonde looked between the two older men, silently berating himself for his outburst. Now they could refuse to answer him.

"They as in the people that Mugiwara-boy released from Impel Down. Though I only helped him escape, I will go as well. This is what I came here for."

"I'm surprised Rayleigh managed to find them." Dragon shook his head. His eyes fell on his Chief of Staff and he almost groaned. The boy had a determined face on, his eyes burning with a fire compatible with his Devil Fruit.

"I want to go too, Dragon-san." Wide, fiery eyes gazed at the other insistently. " _Please_."

The older man had to blink at the word. Sabo has made up his mind and there was not ordering him around anymore, he was an unmoving stone filled with rage and determination.

 _They really are brothers, this stubbornness must be contagious._

"Fine, do what you want." With that, Dragon excused himself, returning to his documents. He did not comment when Sabo sighed in relief.

The boy would've been useless so distracted anyway.

* * *

 _MARIEJOIS_

"Wow, this town is really big and shiny!" Lucy exclaimed, his curious eyes roaming their surroundings.

Ivy smiled. "Isn't it? I'm always telling my father this."

The two continued the last part of their walk in silence until they arrived at a large 'sparkling' as Lucy had put it, mansion. The inside was as big and shiny as the outside.

The black haired teen had been enjoying his new-found freedom and hesitated to step over the threshold. He did not want that feeling to disappear. The girl beside him seemed to guess his thoughts.

"Don't worry, Lucy-kun. You'll be able to walk around freely from now on."

Her smile allowed him to relax a little, and he nodded.

Inside the lavishly decorated house stood two lines of black clothed men, bowing to them. At the end of the two lines, stood a black haired man, clad in the same type of clothes as Ivy. As they got closer, the man offered a small, polite smile.

"It is nice to see you again, Lucy-kun. Welcome back."

The teen blinked but nodded, trying his best to remain polite.

"Thanks."

The awkward silence was quickly shooed away by Ivy.

"I will show him his room now, father. Please excuse us."

The older man nodded. "All right then. Anything you need, call the servants. They are at your service at any time."

Lucy nodded absently, gazing at the sparkly floors and statues. There was so much gold!

 _Just like a treasu-_

"Lucy-kun, are you alright?"

Snapping away from his thoughts, he looked at his companion and grinned.

"Sure. Let's go to my room, I can't wait to see it!"

* * *

His... _room_ , maybe more like a whole storey of a normal house, contained more than Lucy truly felt he needed. The bed was too big, in his humble opinion. The closet too full of clothes he doubted he would ever wear, books that he didn't have the patience to read, paintings of different people and places that he could care less about.

The only thing that deserved to be there were the two small weights that could be used for training. Those he could find a use for. All these and he didn't even see the bathroom, though he was sure it would double the number of useless things that could be found in a house.

During his short stay in this town, Lucy had learned that these people were rich-like _filthy rich._ And he was sure he hadn't seen it all.

Letting his eyes wander around the luxurious bathroom that he found no use for, besides playing something like football, his sight set without his will on the red haired girl standing next to him. Feeling his eyes on her, her white gaze locked with his and they resumed their silence, simply staring into each other's eyes.

Lucy was the one who broke it with an embarrassed cough. He moved back into the main room, dropping himself on the bed and motioning for Ivy to join him.

He let himself open up when she was sitting next to him.

"How did I end up in the hospital?"

Black eyes found her wide ones and he swallowed. The question came out of the blue and she was surprised. But she answered him, looking hesitant.

"Y-you were on a cruise in the New World. There were some business you had to attend." She paused, her eyes glazing over. "But then suddenly your ship was ambushed by pirates and sank! I thought I lost you, but thankfully the Marines were near and they managed to save you. You had horrible wounds from your fight with the pirates." Ivy bit her lip, staring at the ground.

"I can fight?" The prospect of that happening was exhilarating news. If it was true Lucy would surely continue to train.

Ivy nodded. "You tried to defend the ship, but those damned _pirates_ were playing dirty!" She spat the name like acid, making the boy blink.

Somehow, he couldn't make himself hate them. He didn't even remember what pirates were like. They could've been how she described them, or not. Lucy didn't know what to think about this subject right now. So he decided to change it.

"What-" He cleared his throat. This question was not one of his favorites. "Are we friends?"

It left his mouth better than he would have thought he had phrased it. _Not bad._

Ivy giggled. "You really _are_ cute when you're embarrassed!"

Her shout did not help him in the least.

"You are my fiancé." The red head smiled sadly. "I'm kind of sad you don't remember even that."

Lucy was shocked, truly. He didn't even remember her face or this place and now he found himself with a fiancé! Though he will admit he didn't remember anything from his life save the last month he had spent in that hellish hospital, so he supposed it couldn't be helped. Yet, he couldn't help the shocked 'what' that escaped his lips at that moment. He had had better moments, he was sure.

Thankfully, Ivy did not seem perturbed. She only laughed. "You are even funnier with that shocked face."

Biting his lower lip, Lucy sighed. This woman will kill him with his own embarrassment.

"I should get going." Suddenly, her face took on a serious mask. "Tomorrow you'll begin your training."

Lucy's eyes were wide with anticipation. "Fighting training?"

He was met with disappointment when she shook her head. "It's the training all of us have to go through. You missed it for the last two months so you have to recuperate."

She didn't say anything more on this matter and he didn't ask. He would find out tomorrow.

* * *

 _NEW WORLD_

"Captain, Red Hair is here!"

Marco turned his head to gaze at his frantic crewmate. His eyebrow rose in silent surprise, but he did not say anything on the matter besides ordering everyone to their posts. If Red Hair was really coming, they'll have to be prepared.

It did not take long for his ship to come into view.

"Long time no see, Marco. I see things have been good." Shanks flashed his usual grin, his only hand dragging a large bottle of sake after him.

The blonde haired man did not grace him with an answer, his face remaining carefully blank. When both men stood meters apart, they dropped down to sit on the deck, two _sakazuki_ cups between them.

"It's been hard," Marco answered. "But it turned out fine in the end."

Shanks nodded and sipped his alcohol.

The Zoan user waited a few moments more before asking the question that's been haunting him ever since their arrival.

"What did you come here for?"

"Rude, but to the point." The red head laughed. "That's what makes you so charming."

Unmoved by his words, Marco simply raised an eyebrow, silently beckoning the older man to answer his question. The smile dropped from the Yonko's lips and a serious air suddenly surrounded them.

"I'm here to ask for your help."

The statement was a surprise no matter how you put it.

"Why?"

A grimace crossed over his mouth. "That incident a month ago..." Black eyes shined in the dying sunlight. "It wasn't a happy accident or an unprepared throw down. It was _planned_."

The current captain of the Whitebeard pirates had to think back hard to remember what could have happened. The memory was grimmer than he would have guessed when the news of the destruction of the Strawhat crew shook the world. He's been surprised and sorrowful, angry at himself for failing the old man's last words and Ace. But those days passed by in a blur and so did his feelings. They had learned the hard way to deal with things like death.

"What about it?"

Sharp eyes watched him through red bangs. "Luffy's not dead. I'm sure of it."

Half closed eyes widened before they narrowed. "Red Hair, I know it's hard, but you're only deluding yourself if you continue with that line of thinking."

The man in front of him gave a lopsided grin. "I'm sure of it, Marco! And I'm not the only one." He reached inside his black cap and took out an envelope, placing it on the wood between them.

"This is a message from old man Rayleigh. He is gathering everyone that wants to save Luffy. Knowing him, he's gonna rush into Impel Down and save those kids from that hell."

Marco tensed when he mentioned the blasted prison, but his expression lifted the longer he gazed at the white sheet of paper. This was no joke. Was the Dark King getting disillusioned or was this a legit thing?

"What do you say Marco? Are the Whitebeard pirates going to step in?"

The blonde haired man closed his eyes, thinking hard and long what he should do. There wasn't any real evidence that the straw hat boy was alive, but at the same time it was _Rayleigh_ who was behind all this, so there should be some gram of truth somewhere down the line. He supposed that just going there to see for himself was not going to hurt anyone. If he was convinced, then they'll help. He owed Ace's brother that much.

"Fine."

* * *

 _MARIEJOIS_

 _The sound of laughter was echoed by the roaring thunder. A lightning bolt descended from the sky like an arrow. His breathing was ragged and his right hand felt like a ton of bricks, dragging him down. His eyes lifted to gaze at the enormous ship floating above through the clouds. Giving a roaring battle cry, he catapulted into the sky just as he heard the scream._

 _"LUFFY!"_

Lucy stood up, panting. His hand went automatically through his damp hair, trying to find some order through his muddled thoughts. That dream felt so tangible, yet he couldn't remember anything about it. Shaking his head in exasperation, he glanced at the enormous clock on the opposite wall.

 _8:15_

Ivy had said that his 'training' would begin at 9. _Just enough time for a quick breakfast_ , he thought as he entered the bathroom. His stomach growled in approval.

As he gazed in the mirror placed above the sink, the raven head realized that he was finally looking at his own self and released a relieved breath when he saw that, indeed, he did have a nose. And black hair and eyes. It seemed that Ivy was speaking the truth when she said he knew how to fight since he had scars too and people that knew how to fight usually had scars. So Lucy knew how to fight.

The thought brought a smile to his lips. He wasn't sure why it was so important for him, but it was, so he was fine with it. There was one under his left eye and another on his neck.

 _Ouch._

It looked pretty new, circling around his neck in a jagged line. The skin was an angry pink compared to the rest of his tanned skin and looked almost like a chocker.

 _It's probably from the fight that got me in the hospital._

Holding down a grimace, he resumed his business. He was content in knowing how he looked.

* * *

 _I swear I will get lost in here._

The thought was too horrifying to entertain. Lucy looked around at the numerous statues and paintings and cringed. Those were not funny to stand around and await your end with.

A beam of light invaded his eyesight as he turned the corner and he sighed in relief. The light at the end of the tunnel was his savior, as cliché as that sounded.

Lucy arrived in the main hallway he had seen yesterday and stopped. The room was no more helpful than any he had passed on his way here. He looked around, scratching his head in confusion and was about to start off in a random direction again when someone spoke from a nearby doorway.

"You are 5 minutes late." An older man with glasses informed in a tone devoid of any emotion as he neared him.

The teen blinked. Apparently, he had been wandering for some time around this freakishly huge house.

"Aha, sorry. I got lost."

"I can see that." The man's glasses glinted in the sunlight. "It doesn't matter now. Let's go."

Lucy's face dropped, an important though occurring to him.

 _But what about my breakfast?_

* * *

The brown haired man guided him down the road and after a left turn they ended up at an even bigger house.

Even during mornings, the streets were shining and there were people that were walking around with children, all dressed in the same white clothes. Lucy had concluded it must be a rule or something, as he didn't know how else someone would want to wear only those white, ugly clothes.

The mansion he was ushered into had two sets of stairs, one going up and the other somewhere down below. The big room was unfurnished save the stairs.

The man dressed in a black butler's suit guided him to the stairs leading underground and after a couple of minutes they arrived at a door. The metal swung open with a groan and he was gestured inside. The man remained at the edge of the stairs watching him go.

As the door closed behind him, Lucy's eyes finally adjusted to the dim light and found himself looking at another, older man with a surgical mask over his mouth. The man pointed to a table in the middle of the room and the boy complied.

"Take off your shirt."

Black eyes blinked, but he did as he was told. A confused expression appeared on his face when he saw his chest covered by an angry scar.

 _Where did this come from?_

Shaking his head and storing the thought for later, he sat down at the edge of the table. No matter how he looked at it, he didn't like this atmosphere or the creeper standing in front of him, surely grinning behind that mask.

Suddenly, he felt cold hands on his shoulders and he only had time to turn his head a fraction before he was slammed on the table and cuffed in place.

"This won't hurt if you stay compliant, master Lucy."

* * *

 _NEW WORLD_

Cavendish gripped the paper so tightly it crumpled in his closed fist. Jaw clenched, his blue eyes lifted to gaze at the idiot that called him here in the first place.

Somehow, the seven representatives that swore the oath found themselves unconsciously regrouping after the horrible news spread throughout the world. That article made the blonde question the Government more than he did in the past.

Cavendish was a pirate and he knew that the Strawhats were on the list of most searched for pirate crews in the world, but he didn't think the Marines were so _desperate_ that the Fleet Admiral had to be there personally.

 _Why the hurry?_

"Let's get going. It's no use staying here." Ideo suggested, his eyes scanning the room.

Bartolomeo made a sound that was hard not to pity.

The blonde pirate shook his head in disbelief. The idiot has been like a walking corpse the whole month, as far as his crew told Cavendish.

Silence permeated the room again and he sighed partly in irritation, partly in pity at their sorry states. Someone had to take charge now that the fanboy was down.

"Stop fucking moping and let's get going!" The model barked. "This ship ain't gonna sail itself and Rayleigh-san sure as hell won't wait for us forever!"

His words seemed to breathe some life into his companions as they lifted themselves slowly from the ground and went to their posts.

It was a good beginning.

* * *

 _MARIEJOIS_

"Can you stand up, Lucy?"

The boy in question didn't move a muscle. His eyes remained fixed on the ceiling above their heads, unseeing but focused. After a couple of minutes his mouth moved.

"No." The answer was croaked and it almost made the boy cringe. He didn't know what those people did to him- he didn't remember clearly- all he _did_ know was that he couldn't move because it hurt. Like _hell_.

Ivy sighed, shaking her head. A small smile was playing on her lips. "You can move if you'd want to."

"What was that even?" The black haired boy snapped suddenly, his brow furrowed. "It surely wasn't training." He turned his head slowly to look at his silent companion. "Do they do that to you, too?"

Ivy pursed her lips. "Yes, but only a few times when I was little."

"All I remember was the guy telling me that I'm a Celestial Dragon or something over and over. What's that about?"

The red head's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she opened her mouth to answer but Lucy was not finished.

"And how comes I didn't do it when I was young like you? Actually," His furrow deepened, as if the thought had only occurred to him just now. "Why can't I remember anything from my past?"

The string of questions left Ivy speechless for a few moments before she shook her head, ridding herself of the stupor the unpredictable teen put her in.

"The pirate attack that I told you about and your injuries left you amnesiac. They say it will be a long time until you remember. Since your long term memory was affected they had to put you under that training again. They wouldn't risk it if they can help it."

Lucy's gaze turned confused. "Risk what?"

Another silence, stronger than the last, hit the two and the room was once again still. The black haired teen was sure Ivy won't answer that.

She didn't. Instead, the girl stood up and took his hand, forcing him to stand up.

Lucy groaned as his body protested fervently, but he allowed himself to be escorted out of the room and down a stairway he hadn't seen before. A few couple of turns and they were stepping on grass.

As his eyes adjusted to the setting sun, the black haired boy studied the garden around him in wonder. It was big, as everything here. There were all kinds of trees, multi-colored flower beds and stone benches scattered around randomly. A pond was at the right edge of the garden and a fountain on his left, leaving its visitors multiple possibilities of spending their free time and enjoy themselves.

Ivy dragged him to the pond and both plopped down to watch the colored fish swimming around. Lucy's hand went to play with the water absently, staring at the fish.

 _Plop_

Whipping his head up, he looked just in time to see a large bubble fly into the sky and disintegrate a few meters above them. A sudden image flashed inside his mind, but it disappeared just as fast, so he was left to wonder what it meant.

"What's that?" He found himself asking, eyes still fixed on the spot where the bubble had been.

"It's a bubble made by the resin of the Yarukiman Mangrove tree. They are not as big as the ones in Sabaody Archipelago but they still produce bubbles." The red head explained, watching another bubble take flight into the orange sky.

"What's Sabady?" Lucy's attention was caught by the name and his curiosity nudged. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the name felt familiar as he spoke it.

"Sabaody." The girl corrected. "It's an island near our city."

"And what's in there?" Her companion urged, his attention focused solely on her.

The girl shrugged. "It's an island where many travelers gather to go to the New World. Especially pirates. There are tons of _common_ people."

There it was. That spitting acid tone she took when she spoke of things, he had learned, she didn't like. This time she switched from pirates to people. Her white eyes narrowed hatefully, fists moving from playing with the hem of that ugly costume to tug at her nails.

"Common people?" He decided to feign innocence. In truth, he wasn't exactly sure, but he supposed he had a small idea. "Are they different from, _uh_... us?"

Ivy looked him in the eyes. "I've never been there many times, but from what I remember they aren't that different in appearance. You can ask anyone here about them and they'll answer the same thing: they are filthy and the worst kind of trash."

Large eyes blinked as he tried to digest what she said. It sounded wrong somehow, but he didn't ask anymore. Even if what she said was true, it didn't concern him as far as he knew. So there was nothing to burst his head thinking about. Now that he thought about it, the last month had drained him of energy from all the thinking he made, no matter how ironic. Smiling to himself, Lucy decided to just let it go.

It wasn't his business anyway.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the two, a pair of dark eyes watched them from a window on the second storey. The man clasped his hands behind his back, mouth pressed in a tight line.

"How was it?" He addressed the question to the thin man standing behind him.

"He has a stronger mind than he lets on. It will be a challenge, though I believe we can extract at least a few things from him before the hypnosis is complete. Contrary to common sense, his perception of the hypnosis we put him under is perfect, he looks almost _willing_ to respond. I've only met a few subjects this docile." The scientist explained, his eyes never straying from the man in front of him.

The other turned around to face him fully and sighed. "At least something good might come out of my daughter's wish. If the World Government will be able to learn something useful from this pirate, then it represents no problem to me, whatever his fate might be."

"Did she mention why she had insisted that he be brought to her?" The thin man asked hesitantly.

The black haired man's eyes were narrowed. "It might be only a passing infatuation or another reason I cannot discern. Her actions have not proven otherwise at this moment."

"If this is an infatuation then it will be a problem, should it prove to be serious." The doctor commented as his companion nodded his head.

"She will have to understand or it will become a very nasty situation. For both of them."

* * *

 _MARINEFORD_

Coby played with the hem of his shirt absently, watching from the corner of his eye Helmeppo's shuffling. The blonde was moving back and forth in a cycle of footsteps, repeating the same process over and over. They have been at this for over an hour now, the clock on the wall told the young man grimly.

Coby sighed, his fingers brushing his already unkempt hair. His mind reeled in attempts of organizing his thoughts, but he only managed to get a headache. The marine swore.

Helmeppo stopped, took a look at his friend and cringed. Then he looked in the mirror and immediately regretted it. He didn't look any better. The Lieutenant Commander sat down, clasped his arms, resting his chin on them and resumed his thinking.

"Do..." His companion began after another prolonged silence. "Do you think what we heard was true?" Coby refused to look up, his face scrunched up in a grim mask.

The blonde thought this over for a moment before answering as honestly as he could in that confusing moment. "Yeah. I mean, why would Sakazuki lie to Garp-san?"

Coby could enumerate a number of reasons. "But, Luffy is Garp-san's grandson, right? Why would he want to give him this info?"

Helmeppo shrugged. "It might be a trap." He offered.

The pink haired marine closed his eyes tightly, willing away all the unfairness of the world. One month ago he had been ready to believe that his first friend was dead. Killed off by the Marines for no other reason than that they were dangerous pirates. But Coby had learned to not believe everything written in those newspapers. So he and Helmeppo had to dig around more for solid information.

It had been a fruitless search. No one in the Headquarters knew anything about it more than that it had been an order enacted by the Fleet Admiral. And none of them tried to make sense of it. Garp-san was no more useful. He hadn't even known the attack happened until the News Coo arrived the next morning.

But luck had been on their side today when Coby had been ordered to take a few files to Sakazuki's office and the boy almost stumbled upon an important meeting. Thankfully, his reflexes did not leave him and he kept his distance, but not before placing a small Den Den Mushi on the ground. His hideout in the bathroom adjacent gave him the perfect opportunity to overhear the shocking news the Fleet Admiral delivered to his mentor.

Luffy was alive, but in an artificially-induced amnesia. And he would remain like that. The killer combo was given when the lava man confessed that the former pirate had been taken to Mariejois, in the midst of the Celestial Dragons. When Garp demanded to know the reason, Sakazuki remained silent, signaling that even he didn't know. From all of that, Coby understood that the Tenryuubito must have ordered him to do it. It was the only logical explanation he could arrive at since nothing else made sense. Luffy's disappearance had been concluded in the newspapers as death, so the Nobles had to have a reason for that.

 _Or not._

Coby thought grimly. Those people were as reasonless as Luffy is. It wouldn't surprise him if it was one of their whims.

Replaying the events of the day on fast forward once more, the pink haired marine finally arrived at a conclusion.

"I don't think that the Marines were up on destroying the Strawhats."

Helmeppo's head shot up in surprise to hear him speak.

"Probably the Fleet Admiral didn't have a choice. If he's in Mariejois then the Government must be on to something. And since it was the Tenryuubito, it might be plausible to think that the reason could be as trivial as wanting a new plaything."

His companion furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Then the Fleet Admiral told Garp-san because he didn't have any reason to keep it a secret." Helmeppo finished. Coby nodded.

The blonde sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "But this means that no one can touch him anymore, Coby! He's as good as gone."

Jaw clenched, the Captain grudgingly agreed. It might be impossible.

 _But Luffy-san has done the impossible so many times before!_

Fists clenched, he stood up so quickly, his coat fell from his shoulders.

"We have to find Luffy-san. No matter what."

Helmeppo wanted to retort to that declaration, but his friend was radiating determination and he supposed trying wouldn't hurt. He only hoped that Luffy didn't rub on Coby in some way. Then it would be real trouble.

He didn't know how right he was.

* * *

 _MARIEJOIS_

 _"LUFFY WATCH OUT!"_

Lucy blinked his eyes open, lifting himself from the ground and looked around confused. His droopy eyes closed and he yawned widely, scratching the back of his head in wonder.

He didn't remember falling asleep. The sound of water reminded him that he was in the garden, by the pond.

 _Ah._ Now he remembered. He wanted to relax and he somehow found himself walking back here. His first visit from a few days ago with Ivy replayed in his mind and he dropped back down on the grass.

Gazing up at the clear blue sky he wondered where she was. Things were pretty boring without anyone to spend his time with and he had no one to nag.

 _"Remember, you are a Celestial Dragon master Lucy."_

Black eyebrows furrowed as he remembered the 'training' from yesterday. The same ritual, only he wasn't confused and unprepared this time. It irritated him that the two men that did those things to him refused to answer any of his questions. They didn't even listen to him!

Shaking his head to rid himself of the horrible memory, he returned to study the sky, losing himself in its enormity. The lapping of water only served to entertain his imagination, the wide, blue ocean jumping into his consciousness with its lulling waves and angry storms.

 _Man, it must be nice to sleep on a ship in the middle of the ocean._

A sudden thud brought him back to reality. His head turned around to lock gazes with white, silver sprinkled eyes. Now that he looked better, there were very light shades of green and blue dancing in her iris as well. Her giggle snapped his concentration away.

"I'm surprised you have the patience to stay put. You're usually off destroying something." Ivy's mouth was twisted into a cocky grin, clearly a challenge.

Lucy grinned back widely. "Aw, it's cute that you think so highly of me." Since he had so much time to play around, he might as well do that.

Ivy looked taken aback by his reply, but it did not last long. Instead, she stood up and asked.

"So what are we doing today?"

The black haired teen tried to figure out the time by the sun. His skills were obviously bad, but he supposed nightfall must be four hours away at most.

"You got any more secret places in this garden?"

* * *

The weeks passed by in such a blur Lucy was not even sure if it was possible.

 _One more week and it'll be two months since I'm here._

"Lucy, what do you think of this one?" Ivy's voice snapped him back into the shop they were currently in. The red head had literally dragged him out of the house and through the whole shopping district.

He never wanted to see clothes again. This whole situation was giving him a nostalgic feeling but he didn't have time to dwell on it. There was something more important bothering him right now.

Studying the short, red, velvet, simple dress the girl showed him he scratched his head, totally lost.

"You don't even wear anything else besides that ugly white costume. Why bother buying it?"

Ivy's temple twitched, a reflex he saw when she was irritated at something. She didn't say anything as she made a beeline for the register, slamming the money down with a thirst only meant for him. Lucy sighed in defeat.

* * *

"Actually, _why_ do you wear that?" The black haired boy asked, his eyes shining with curiosity.

"It's a traditional costume." The girl's answer was clipped.

"So you gotta wear it, like, _always_?" His tone was laced with disbelief. He continued his rant, hands thrown in the air to empathize his point. "Then when do you wear all this clothes?!" He shook his arms full of shopping bags.

"I wear them too." Ivy answered, her eyes never straying from their path.

Lucy pouted, before a devilish grin crossed his face. With an agility he didn't know he possessed, his hand snapped up and snatched the purple cloth binding her hair in her usual bun and made a run for it.

Ivy's shrill was lost in the distance as the teen made his way through the crowd, deftly avoiding anyone in his way. The path he followed ended up in a park and he immediately took for the safety of the bushes when a body slammed into him, sending them both sprawling. The tangle rolled on the ground before stopping, both of them breathing hard.

"Caught you bastard." Ivy rasped through a shaky breath.

"I hope you're not mad at me anymore, _shishishi._ " Lucy grinned, dangling the cloth from his fingers teasingly.

He saw her temple pulse again, but then she smiled and laughed.

"You are an idiot. I almost burst my lungs running after you."

Lucy joined her and they laughed for a few more minutes before Ivy sat up, snatching back her binding from him on the way up.

Lucy looked at her trying to tame her hair and he almost laughed at the display. It was like her hair had a mind of its own.

"You look better with your hair down." The words left him before he could think them but he shrugged. It was true anyway. He blinked in confusion when the girl in front of him blushed a color not unlike her hair.

"T-thanks, I guess." Finally mastering her red mane, she tied it up tightly.

Lucy lifted himself up from the ground, brushing the dirt and leaves off his pants and gathered the scattered shopping bags from their fall.

"I wonder what's for dinner." The black haired boy hummed as they started their walk back home.

"You'd eat anything, why bother asking?" Ivy laughed as she saw her companion's wide grin. She didn't know how Lucy could stretch his face so much, it looked painful, but on him it seemed natural.

The girl's smile dropped, white eyes darkening for a moment before they resumed their usual cheerfulness.

Lucy remained ignorant, still chatting happily.

* * *

"Eh, you're leaving?" Lucy's eyes were wide, something akin to fear passing through them. Unknowingly, Ivy had become a sort of anchor to his surroundings for him and now she was leaving.

The red head snorted. "I'm not leaving forever. It's just a few days." Her mouth curved upwards. "Try to not get yourself killed without me."

The black haired boy grimaced and nodded. He flopped back on the bed as the door to his room closed and tried to think what he should do today. It would be boring without Ivy but he would manage.

 _What to do, what to do._

A tremor ran through him and he jumped from the bed. Just like he had thought, thinking wasn't for him- pun intended. It would be better to just go outside and attempt to walk aimlessly around. Maybe something interesting would pop up.

His thoughts clouded for a moment as he remembered that tomorrow, a new week would begin and with it came another round of 'training'. He hated it.

Sighing, he pushed the thoughts away and exited the house. Somehow he had learned the way to the large double doors and he silently congratulated himself for the feat.

The city was sparkly as usual, the lines of houses on both sides of the street arranged neatly and looking all the same save a few subtle differences such as the color of the curtains and stickers plastered on the windows' glass. Small shops sprouted, squeezed through the houses.

The people walking along the street didn't give him anything more than a look and he was thankful. Everyone was dressed in the same ugly clothes but now that he looked closely, there were other people that were dressed in normal garments too. Some flocked around the white dressed people, all silent and walking behind them. A black eyebrow shot up in surprise but he let it slide.

Looking ahead again he smiled when he noticed a kid that looked to be no more than sixteen, dressed normally like him. The boy looked up, his eyes wide with an indescribable fear.

Lucy opened his mouth to call out to him but in that moment something pushed the boy and he stumbled to the ground.

"Huh." A black haired, fat man huffed adjusting himself on the bloodied man he was riding on. "You are too slow. Move it or I kill you." He rattled the chains of their metal cuffs pointedly.

The boy nodded hurriedly and pushed himself up, resuming his walk, the ugly pig behind him dragging a whole line of different people of all ages by the chains. All of them had sad, tear stricken faces but none said anything about the inhuman treatment.

Lucy's mouth hung open, his eyes disbelieving. He had been so shocked that when he finally snapped out of his stupor and was about to give the ugly fat a piece of his mind, they were already gone. Black eyes swiped the street and concluded grimly that he missed his chance. Shaking his head he continued onwards, noting that none of the people on the street were even a little moved or surprised, they looked used to the situation. Now that the teen looked closely, there were other people with chains rattling at their feet and hands, the white clad people dragging them around.

Lucy looked down at his clothes and cringed. Did they think he was one of them too? He surely hoped those people weren't criminals. He couldn't imagine such an innocent looking child to be a vicious murderer. He would have to ask Ivy or someone else to clear it up for him, his head was starting to hurt again.

After a while the houses became noticeably smaller, lacking their usual shiny exterior and expensive looking decorations. The buildings that took their place were normal looking, still looking pretty awesome in Lucy's eyes, but he guessed the people living in them did not have so much money like the others. Another few steps brought him to a large plaza filled with activity.

People of all kinds, buzzed around stands and children played happily around the big fountain in the middle. Some people were even dressed - _like him_!- with different, multicolored clothes. A look to his left brought his attention to an island of green placed in the middle of the concrete.

* * *

"It looks pretty fun." Lucy muttered to himself as he watched the nature around him. In the center of the park was a square of sand filled with toys. Kids were scattered about, playing in groups and laughing happily. He had to pause from his musings when a group ran closely past him and he stumbled but regained his balance at the last moment.

"They should be more careful." The black head sighed, his hand lifting to feel the space above his head. He blinked when he felt nothing but air, sure that something must've been placed there. His growing confusion from the thought- that he knew that something was there but wasn't!- gave him chills but before he could further dwell on it, a blonde haired boy stumbled out of the line of bushes at his side, falling on the ground.

Lucy blinked, helping the kid up and dusting his t-shirt. "You okay, kid?"

The boy sniffed but nodded. "Thanks for helping me mister." He grinned widely.

Lucy already liked this kid. "What's your name?"

"Kiiro. Yours mister?"

"Lucy." The raven head looked around them once before speaking again. "Where are your friends?"

The child blinked and shrugged. "They didn't come today." Suddenly, his eyes sparkled. "You wanna see something awesome Lucy?"

Lucy nodded and Kiiro took his hand, happily dragging him by the hand towards a large tree. It looked like the feeling was mutual, the boy didn't take long to open up to someone.

"This is my hideout. It's awesome, right?" He grinned, eyes shining with mirth.

"Yep." Lucy agreed, hands on his hips, taking in the thick bark and branches. It was an awesome tree, you could even build a tre-

"I wanna build a tree house up there. Me and my friends will start it tomorrow. Then we'll be playing pirates!"

Black eyes widened but he smiled. "Yeah, it's an awesome idea." His tone was lustful and melancholic. It made the boy blink.

"You wanna play with me mister?"

"Sure."

"Say," Lucy looked at the younger boy from his place near the rough tree bark where they were currently taking a break from the continuous playing.

Kiiro looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Why does everyone wear those white robes up there," he pointed in the rough direction he came from. "But people here wear normal things too?"

The blonde gave him a long look, signaling it was pretty common knowledge but didn't call him on it. Instead, he answered him.

"You mean the people from the Inner City," the boy pointed in the opposite direction Lucy had pointed earlier. "They are the pure blooded Celestial Dragon families. They dress like that to show their rank. This is one of the Outer Districts and people can dress however they want. Even some common people come here to sell things."

The older took in the explanation, digesting it quietly. Now everything made more sense. It seems his little escapade brought him to the outskirts of the city. But still, there was one more thing that was bothering him.

"So the Celestial Dragons are really important or something?"

Kiiro's eyebrows were almost touching his hairline. "Duh! They are the ones that lead the world! You live here and you didn't even know that mister?"

Lucy grimaced, but nodded. "I've, uh, had a problem with my head and I can't remember things." He explained lamely, hoping the boy would buy his explanation. It was a simplified truth, after all.

"Oh, okay." The blonde kid shrugged, accepting his words without any further question. Kiiro was smarter than kids normally were at his age.

Casting a long look at the sky, Lucy sighed. "All right, I guess I should get going. It's gonna get dark soon."

The black haired teen stood up, waving at his newest friend. The blonde child looked at him in doubt.

"You know how to read the hour by the sun mister?"

Lucy scratched his head. If he was going to be honest with himself, he'd say he didn't but at the same time he did know. It was a confusing feeling he didn't like to dwell on if he could help it.

"I guess. See ya, kid!"

"It's the other direction, mister!"

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" The older teen laughed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Kiiro put his hands on his hips, looking like the mother of the duo.

"It's fine, I will make sure you go in the right direction." He flashed the other a grin which was reciprocated.

The two arrived at the edge of the park and Lucy's eyes met with the plaza he was in earlier and the commotion currently underway.

" _You fucking piece of trash_! _I shouldn't have bought you at that stupid auction_!"An outraged man cried from the middle of the square.

"Oh." Kiiro's eyes were downcast.

"What's happening? Do y'know?" His older companion looked down at him in concern.

"It's Saint Thetra. He's abusing his slaves in the middle of the street again."

A black eyebrow lifted up. "The- _who_ and what slaves?"

"Those ones." The boy pointed to the two bloodied people on the ground near the fountain. Lucy realized he was looking at normal dressed people, bound with shackles on hands and legs. His stomach dropped.

 _"You bastards, Camie's not something you can sell!"_

"They are _slaves_?!" The disgust was clearly laced deep in his tone.

"Yeah." There was that obvious edge to the boy's whispered voice. "That guy is real bad. Don't go near him."

His advice went unheard and he suddenly found himself alone. Kiiro almost had a heart attack when he saw Lucy going straight for the preoccupied Noble. He didn't even stop to acknowledge the boy's cry or the other peoples' concerned and horrified stares.

Booted feet stepped up and stopped just behind the man. Saint Thetra paused in his actions and looked back with a taut expression on his oversized face. He opened his mouth to lash out at the bastard that dared interrupt him but a fist colliding with his face prevented him from saying anything.

Lucy didn't even know where that intense feeling of rage came from, but it gave him enough boost for a well deserved hit. Hell, he didn't know he had that much force to make the guy fly into the fountain. It didn't matter, he didn't regret it one bit.

A frozen silence descended over the plaza, every citizen asking themselves _if_ it was possible and _how_ the black haired teen could be so stupid.

Lucy cracked his knuckles, frown etched deep into his face. The bastard seemed to have fallen asleep into the water. Well, it didn't matter. He had said what he had to say.

"Thank you." A small, whispered voice made him look down. A green haired girl that looked to be the same age as him wiped her bloodied nose and offered him a small smile. Lucy grinned widely.

"That was no problem!"

* * *

"You did what?!" Ivy shouted, hands on her hips and an exasperated expression on her face. She couldn't believe it.

"I swear you are a recipe for disaster! How the hell can you be such an idiot?"

Lucy ducked his head, a pout on his face. He tried to make himself as small as he could in fear of the girl's rage. Her flaming red hair did not help the demon image in his mind.

"I'm... sorry?" He offered, though in all reality he wasn't in the least. The fat bastard had it coming.

Ivy exhaled, trying to calm down. "No, you're not." She stated and rubbed her temples when her black haired companion threw her a wide grin.

"Aw, you know me so well Ivy! 'Course I'm not sorry, the bastard deserved every last bit of it!"

"Yes, it _is_ a problem, Lucy!" The red head retorted.

Lucy snapped his mouth shut. She never used his name until things went down to shit. _Oh well._

"You are lucky that father could pacify the guy. If not, you'd be executed right now!"

"Fine, fine, sorry. Can you please stop shouting now?" The raven haired teen muttered, hands in his hair.

Ivy shook her head and began again, albeit in a softer tone. "Look, you can't just hit a Noble and get away with it. There are rules and then there are _laws_. Got it?"

Lucy nodded. His black eyes lifted to stare back at her in wonder. Now that the shouting was over, he could ask what had been on his mind for a while now.

"Say, am I a slave?"

The red head chocked on her spit in an unladylike manner. " _No_. Where the hell did you get _that_ idea from?!"

The teen blinked and shrugged.

"Ugh, I swear I leave you _one day_ alone and you manage to break the law, get stupid ideas and you even destroyed a fountain!"

"Ohhh, I did? Awesome! _Shishishi_." Hands in the air, Lucy whooped and laughed.

A fist over his head was his friend's answer.

* * *

 **A/N: *promises to not write Luffy OOC***

 ***doesn't like to have many OCs in my stories***

 ***promised to not include so many characters at once again***

 **And what do I end up writing? An OOC Luffy story with tons of cannon characters and Ocs... oops**

 **Anyway,** **Hello there! :'D**

 **I've been writing furiously these past weeks on this sudden plot bunny that entered my head and I could never make it leave. So I decided to take it out of my system at least xD**

 **I should offer some warnings: As you could see there's OOC Luffy (but because of _reasons)_**

 **Also, my Ocs (that hopefully are more normal than the other ones, but I don't count on it)**

 **As this is a multi-chaptered fic, I will try to post the next as soon as possible. I only have to write the ending and I'm all wrapped with this story (technically) so I decided to take a risk and actually post the first chap before I finish it**

 **On another note, why do i always make Sabo a hysteric mess and make him always worry about Luffy xD... poor older brothers ._.**

 **Oh well, I hope you enjoyed! Reviews and Feedback are loved! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

RIPTIDE

* * *

Rayleigh sighed as he watched the commotion currently underway in his bar. Well, Shakky's, but he spent quite a lot of his time there too, so he supposed he could say that.

Another shout disrupted his trivial musings and the sounds of fists, swords and Devil Fruit powers thrown into battle could be heard, making the man curse the black haired boy and his tendency to make friends with the most impossible people. _And_ when they were all here because of him, they still couldn't get along at least for a _goddamn_ minute to try and talk about it.

The former pirate didn't even want to start on the fact that it took them more than two _months_ to get their asses to Sabaody and finally gather together everyone who received his letter, and some others that appeared randomly. He surely did not want to know how Luffy got himself a fleet of _5600_ men and more than 48 ships, not to mention the guys that joined him had more or less crazy reputations and substantial bounties to boot. He had shaken his head and allowed them to join in or else they would've done something stupid for sure. And they couldn't be careless in a situation like this.

The ruckus became annoying after a while, so the older man decided to get down to actions. They had to get the plan rolling soon.

Sitting up, he sent a wave of powerful Conqueror's Haki which made the room descend into silence immediately. Fortunately, those present were pretty powerful themselves, so the Haki's only effect was to act as a warning to shut up already. Outside, several thumps could be heard through the silence.

Since the bar was pretty small, only the representatives of each crew that showed up were allowed to stay, the rest of their crewmates were either the unfortunate ones that remained outside to keep watch or they went back to the ships.

"Well then, shall we begin already?" Rayleigh's smile was sharp, making the pirates in the room raise their guards up. Heads nodded and he continued. "I think everyone knows why we've gathered here. Let's get one thing straight." Keen eyes studied the silent people in the room for a few more moments.

"I don't care about your reasons for being here and I'm not going to ask. Whatever you came here for, if you execute your part of the plan then we've got no problems. Anyone that came here just to get a good laugh out of this and messes up the plan, I'll make sure to personally kill him." His words echoed through the still room.

Once again, everyone nodded their heads, some slowly, reluctantly, some determined. Having said that, the older man sat down on the sofa again, hands on knees, watching the room.

"So what's the plan?" Cavendish asked, his blue eyes holding a weary light.

"I think the better question would be, is Strawhat-ya really _alive_?" Trafalgar Law crossed his arms over his chest, leaning in his seat. His eyes were narrowed, obviously not sold on the idea that his ally might be alive. He had learned to not expect miracles.

Rayleigh sighed again. "It's just a gut feeling. Though in my defense, Shakky's intuition arrived at the same conclusion. My gut feeling combined with her instincts and it might as well be true."

Many pairs of eyebrows were lifted up in confusion and disbelief as they listened to the man's words.

"Let's not get derailed here." Shakky exhaled the smoke from her cigarette. "You guys aren't here only for Luffy-kun. First we've got to get those kids out of the blasted prison."

Rayleigh nodded. "This will be a coordinated attack. We can't take any chances and we have to act fast."

"I suppose you have a plan to back up this movement right, Rayleigh-san?" Shanks grinned from his spot next to Marco.

The former First Mate regarded him with an amused face. The man's appearance had surprised him the most. He knew that the former cabin boy and Luffy were close, Shanks having saved the boy's life- a story that Luffy never ceased to speak about proudly. But when he appeared with the new captain of the Whitebeard pirates to boot, Rayleigh admitted that he was grudgingly impressed. The string of shocking appearances continued when Buggy stepped over the threshold, albeit hesitantly and with trembling hands. After that, the second in command of the Revolutionary army arrived along with Ivankov and demanded to know where Luffy was. Jinbei had already been there for a few days with his Sun pirates and Crocodile arrived only hours later with the suspicious intention of participating as well. He had argued that he'd get a good laugh out of this whether it was discovered that his ex-enemy was alive or dead and he didn't have anything to do anyway. The former pirate reasoned that however bad those arguments were, the man must have another one hidden from him, but it wasn't Rayleigh's business and any helping hand was welcomed. Boa Hancock was the last to arrive just after Law and Luffy's new fleet. The Empress did not look very happy and Rayleigh feared a woman's rage the most. He pitied their enemies right now.

"Fortunately for you, I have a plan. You will have to cooperate, though."

Protests arose just as he finished talking, most of the angry pirates expressing their refusal. The First Mate of the Roger pirates could care less in that moment. Slamming his hand on the coffee table in front of him, he spoke above the insufferable sound.

"Are we going to find Luffy or do you want to stay here and get to know each other better?" The sarcastic question had the intended effect when everyone fell silent. "Now listen up."

* * *

 _WATER SEVEN_

Iceburg looked at the piece of paper in front of him and sighed. It was the seventh time he read it, and while he knew it won't provide him with an answer, rather he had to give it, he didn't feel any less useless.

Rayleigh, the man that he had met in his childhood when he had been the First Mate of the Pirate King, had contacted him roughly a month ago to ask him for a favor. The Mayor wouldn't let dangerous things endanger him or his city, but he was forced to reconsider when the older man mentioned the possibility that Strawhat Luffy might be alive.

The news of the Strawhats' capture brought him a crowd of workers at his threshold demanding a paid leave in order to go save their leader. The blue haired man refused on the pretext that he didn't like to give paid leaves. In reality, former ship dismantlers going to Impel Down equaled extermination and Iceburg won't _endanger the city_.

So, with the smallest amount of reluctance, he dialed the number written on the paper, only to be answered by some Captain of the Royal Guard. When he finally managed to snap his jaw shut, Iceburg had a deal with the Alabasta Kingdom. He was later informed that princess Vivi and princess Rebecca had already formed an official alliance between Dressrosa and the Sand Kingdom.

What was going to happen, he didn't know. But after that wild phone talk, he didn't care anymore. His next instructions were to wait for the Thousand Sunny to be brought to Water Seven. Then he'll execute all the necessary repairs in order to prepare the ship for another wild ride. Iceburg knew Franky won't be very happy that someone else meddled with his ship, but the cyborg didn't have any say in the matter this time.

* * *

Perona swore under her breath when her minion ghost returned to relay her the worst news possible. The Marine Headquarters were full of soldiers.

Just what kind of integral Government organization was this? They had to be slacking in some department, dammit!

"How are things looking, Perona'un?" Heracles asked, crouching down behind her.

"The hell do you think you're doing standing so close to me?!" The pink haired girl almost shrieked, but lowered her volume down in the nick of time. She exhaled in relief, making the oblivious man behind her blink.

Shaking her head, she bent forward, trying to catch another look at the building and its surroundings. The island itself was just like Marineford in terms of the big castle and the reinforced walls and cannons.

Perona and Heracles were stationed in an abandoned alley somewhere between the first line of civilian houses and the next. The buildings around them were mostly empty since everyone was either at work or at school, giving them the best opportunity to launch their scheme.

They have been tasked by Rayleigh to bring the Thousand Sunny back. Unfortunately, the ship was taken by the Fleet Admiral and now rested at the bay, in a remote corner, hidden but not really- because Perona was just good at finding things in general.

"Let's go." She whispered, jumping from their hideout. Heracles stood frozen in surprise for a moment before he hurried after her.

It didn't take them long to arrive at the place where the ship was. Perona couldn't see it since it was covered with a huge, white sheet of cloth, but the form was unmistakable. There were only four soldiers stationed there on watch.

"Let's get down to it." She summoned one of her ghosts to go ring the huge bell.

To onlookers, it looked like a strong gust of wind blew and moved the Ox Bell. To the hiding pirates and their allies, the signal had been sounded. And now it was time to play their parts.

* * *

"Uhm... madam," The soldier began, looking quite uncertain of himself in that moment, "I assure you this is not the island you are looking for. May I ask how did you enter the Tarai Current?"

A blonde haired woman- that looked more like a man- winked, a pout on her face. "We don't know ourselves! And we are very sorry mister officer for taking you away from your duty. Hmm, or not~" The transvestite did a little pirouette in place, placing a hand on another unsuspecting soldier.

The man who spoke looked a little disturbed at the display, but decided to let it slide, however hard that was.

The Okama pirates were currently at half their usual forces, sailing on a boat that looked as ordinary as it could get for _ordinary_ civilians. The irony was not lost on their allies. As they executed their mission of keeping the soldiers occupied and generally making a ruckus out of it, a shadow slipped through the confusion, going straight for the ship, led by one of Perona's ghosts.

Haredas swore, trying to keep his wizard hat from falling off his head as he sneaked silently- as much as he could- through the ships stationed at the docks. His target was becoming bigger and bigger and he had to whistle, _silently_ , when he arrived at the meeting point.

He smiled as he saw the pink haired ghost girl nod at him, pointing to the irregular shape of the vessel, thus silently making sure he knew their target. Haredas nodded back and took out a weather ball from his bag. His job was the easiest- for him- but most important. He had to make sure the ship was correctly stolen. While the old man did not encourage such acts, he would do it for the lovely Nami. She had been a great student and he would try to help her in any way!

As the old man worked on getting the right weather set, Heracles whistled sharp and short, but enough for the Torino birds to hear it. A loud chirp was heard back and five dark forms appeared inconspicuously from the cloudy sky, courtesy of Haredas.

"Last phase, bug man. Make sure you do it right." Perona whispered as she summoned four ghosts to attack the patrolling men.

"I'm a beetle, Perona'un!" The masked man exclaimed as he kicked their now negative victims over the head, promptly knocking them out.

"It's done!" Haredas half-shouted. He slammed the ball on the ground, shattering it.

A white smoke that Perona identified as fog started flowing out of the carcass, enveloping half the island in under five minutes. The visibility was no more than a meter in a happy case.

"All right creepsters, move!" With that, the girl snatched the white cloth covering their target and tugged at it, ripping a piece before flying on deck, her companions climbing behind her on the makeshift rope. They got the cloth off from the edges just in time for the Torino birds to land on it and fly again immediately, ship and pirates in tow.

From besides them, shouts and cheers were heard and from the wall of fog emerged another two birds carrying the small vessel with the Okamas on them. The two teams congratulated each other for their amazing performance and, with hope renewed, they continued on towards Water 7 as fast and as inconspicuous as they could- with Hareda's help.

Perona looked down at the blue ocean passing by below them and finally allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief, embracing the whistling wind passing over her ears and the loud alarms sounding from the Marine base.

* * *

 _"They did it. It's time. Go."_

The Impel Down prison, said to be the most secure in the world, stood towering before them like the titan it truly was. Hancock snorted, her fists closing at her sides. Happy memories-for her-had surrounded the prison ever since she helped Luffy sneak in there to save his brother. She had been happy that day, happy that the object of her affections finally spoke her name correctly and thanked her for bringing him there. She was glad that she managed to help him.

But now, the grey structure held only misery for her, serving as a constant reminder that he was gone.

"We are ready Hancock-san." Luffy's brother tried to offer her a small smile when he saw the state she was in, but he could only offer so many positive vibes in such a situation. They were planning on raiding the most impregnable prison and save the remainder of the Strawhat crew- _his_ crew.

The Empress nodded and signaled the crew to approach the docks. The guards were already on high alert. Fortunately, they snatched a possible ally on their way here so the pirates could profit from the rapid current of Tarai. Else they would have lost even more time. The plan had been in motion for more than a week now.

"Vice Captain Smoker! What is the meaning of this?" Vice Warden Magellan stepped closer to the ship.

The man in question exhaled the smoke from his two cigars and spoke. "Miss Empress demanded I bring her here. I've only done my duty." The white haired man shrugged like it did not concern him- which was a big _fucking_ lie, like Smoker liked to say. Still, he had a role to play.

Magellan did not look convinced, but just then Hancock stepped forward.

"Vice Warden Magellan, it's a pleasure to see you again." The black haired woman winked, making every man present on the deck down below weak in the knees.

"I am very sorry for my unannounced arrival, but it's been a waterfall of confusion ever since the incident two months ago." Hancock explained, her face serious and voice grave. Smoker almost snorted.

"Strawhat Luffy has asked me a favor a long time ago, to relay a message to his crew in case he would die." Her words silenced even the love-struck guards that were catcalling her only moments ago.

Hearing the captain's name, Magellan's face visibly darkened, but he did not say anything.

"Knowing this, would you please let this poor woman fulfill her promise?" She flipped her hair for effect and put on her most innocent and sweet face.

The warden was just about to agree when Head Jailer Domino intervened.

"We are very sorry, Empress Hancock, but we cannot allow anyone into the prison without prior notification. We have strict rules here in the most _impregnable prison_." The blonde woman's dark glasses shined in the sunlight warningly. She offered them a polite smile that clearly signaled the discussion was over.

Hancock would have glared, but opted to sigh. She was tired of being mad at the world, two months had been enough.

"All right. I am sorry for wasting your time. Vice Admiral Smoker, we are free to go." The Empress turned on her heels and made a beeline for the cabins.

Smoker sighed in irritation, hands going to his hips.

"We will make sure to report this to the Headquarters as well, Vice Admiral Smoker."

Tashigi visibly tensed behind him, but the white haired man remained impassive. He's had enough of these clowns.

"Do whatever you want." With those words, he motioned for the G-5 crew to prepare for departure.

 _"I ain't gonna stay around and do nothing. Strawhat's no saint but he sure as hell ain't a bloody murderer either. I may hunt him, but I consider it my job. What that bastard Sakazuki did wasn't what the Marines are supposed to do. And I ain't gonna stay and perform by their justice. If the Government wants to play, then I'm gonna make sure I goddamn win."_

* * *

Sabo smiled at the shrinking form of the G-5 ship as the heavy gates closed behind them. Somehow, his little brother had even gotten himself an ally from the Marines' side. The revolutionary shook his head in disbelief. He knew Luffy tended to make friends and allies out of the most impossible people-the group he was part of spoke volumes-but this was a new level.

"I think the path's clear." The bespectacled man that he learned was called Mr. 3 whispered from the next concavity in the stone ceiling. They were waiting for their cue when the guards resumed their posts to retaliate.

Rayleigh had made sure every one of them knew _what_ they had to do and _how_ to do it. The man was truly a mastermind in his free time and no one could convince the blonde otherwise.

"Then let's get down to it." Jinbei nodded as they dropped down to the ground.

A short look passed between them before the large group started towards the entrance.

Entering the first level, the atmosphere already became somber and much too humid for Sabo's tastes. A shiver went down his spine as he remembered that Ace was held in this prison at the bottom level. Fists clenched and the fire from the Mera Mera no Mi pulsing through his veins, the blonde made a vow to not let his only remaining brother die. He had almost lost himself back then and two, hellish, _freaking_ months had been long enough.

 _Wait for me, Luffy. I'm coming._

"It's here." Buggy's shaky voice brought him back to reality.

They learned that the clown had been more or less dragged to Rayleigh's by Mr. 3. The Shichibukai never did want to play a part in this, but his companion thought otherwise and his subordinates had more than encouraged this new challenge. They said he'll be the man that's going to become Pirate King. Sabo almost snorted but abstained from breaking their cover.

Jinbei nodded. "We are splitting down from level two. Crocodile..."

Said man _tsked_ and used his sand to open the door slowly, making sure no sound was heard. The ex-convict had used his Devil Fruit powers to blind the Den Den Mushi on the way as they made a run for it through the loud first level. It looked like the prisoners had another show coming.

Entering the Beast level, the group split in two, Jinbei stopping in an overcast corner, safe from the cameras, while the others continued on. The fishman has been tasked with support, so the limit level he could go to was level two. He will clear the first two floors in case one of the Strawhats were imprisoned there.

The rest of them went straight below.

 _"You'll be split in four teams so you can cover more ground. The first two levels can be cleared by Jinbei without problems. The next two will be cleared by Buggy, his associate that dragged him here, Mr. 3 and Bartolomeo. Do it in reverse... start from the lowest level and go up. Remember, your goal is to keep going_ _ **up**_ _."_

Level three passed by in a blur with its scorching madness. It did not affect Sabo as bad as it affected the others. He was made of fire, after all.

If the former level had been hot, level four was literal hell. Sabo pitied whoever had to stay there.

Buggy looked like he wanted to be anywhere else, but not where he was standing now, looking at the nightmarish lava bowl below. Memories that he would rather forget played inside his mind as he jumped along with the others. The old man had always been a bastard and now was no exception. At least he had mercy and only made Buggy descend to level four. The pirate wished the other idiots good luck inside his mind.

 _They'll need it._

* * *

Level five was a serious surprise. Sabo had thought the prison could only get hotter, but he was thoroughly disappointed when he was greeted with a frozen wasteland. None of them were really prepared for it, since not even Rayleigh had been sure what to expect. Provided, his flaming skin did keep him warm, but he refused to stop there. The other men refused as well and in the end it came down to Cavendish to stay and search this place. The man had sighed, muttering about damn blockheads and went about to search for any sort of life form.

Sabo smiled.

Crocodile directed them to the stairs that went to the last level of the prison. Level six was neither hot nor cold, but it was _silent_. So goddamn silent that you couldn't even hear your own thoughts if you stayed there long enough. The blonde revolutionary was sure he'd go mad here. Shaking his head, he opted to concentrate on making this 'visit' go smoother and faster. He eyed Crocodile's back as he led them down the stairs and admitted he had to thank the man. His experience in this prison was more useful than any kind of map now. Buggy and Mr. 3's too. Without them, Sabo doubted they would have gotten this far and so fast. Almost to level six and no alarm was sounded yet.

 _This might as well work._

Wishful thinking.

* * *

 _LEVEL TWO_

Chopper coughed blood, almost choking before he managed to get himself into a position where he could spit it on the muddy ground. The action made his body hurt all over and the small reindeer stifled a groan as another sharp pain shot up his shoulder.

 _Dislocated, huh._

The doctor would have laughed at his situation, if he would have the strength left. He wondered how much time has passed since that nightmarish day. This brutal prison has made him lose his sense of time but he didn't mind. He could not bring himself to care anymore about anything or anyone since that day.

They had been celebrating beating Kaido and everyone was in a generally good mood when the Marines attacked. They came without preamble and literally burst out of the water and started firing cannons. They retaliated as much as they could but their enemies had had the element of surprise and they used it to their maximum advantage. Luffy had fought tooth and nail with AkaInu but in the end, the man won. The image of his captain being held by a lava hand gripped firmly on his neck would forever be imprinted into his memory.

Chopper had cried and wept and cursed himself for his inability to heal his captain. He had _failed_ the job he was entrusted with, how could he even face his friends now?!

A low growl permeated through the grim silence of the hallway and the reindeer whimpered. So they came again. The beasts patrolling the halls were coming at fixed intervals and their favorite plaything was Chopper. He surely did not expect any pity when they got dragged and thrown in this black hole of a prison and Chopper wouldn't ever stoop so low to beg for mercy.

 _Let them come. I'm ready._

* * *

Jinbei paused in his walk as his sensitive ears caught the animal growl. It did sound like one of the beasts this level was famous for. But if it growled, it could mean that it had found prey. Curiosity getting the best of him, the fishman turned and directed his steps towards the continuous sound. As he passed the corner, his yellow eyes fixed on the growling beast as it stood outside a prisoners' cage, its attention fully on what was inside.

Charging an _Arabesque Tile True Punch_ , the blue skinned man studied the darkness of the cage as the animal flew away with a whimper. His instincts had been right. He was there.

"Hang in there Chopper, I'm getting you out of there." Jinbei called to the prisoner of the cage as he stepped back, preparing another attack. The sound was so loud it could have been heard throughout the whole prison.

Of course it would attract the attention of the guards. If the flying animal didn't, then this inconspicuous metal breaking sound would surely do that. As he lifted the battered reindeer from the ground with alarms blowing in the background, Jinbei had a passing thought that he hesitantly agreed with.

He could have planned this better.

* * *

Buggy almost jumped when the obnoxious sound blasted through the megaphones and swore like the pirate he truly was.

 _Which one of the blasted idiots fucked it up?!_

He couldn't wait to find him and chop him into tiny _fucking_ little pieces.

"Goddammit!" The clown's hands were in his hair, pulling at it with an exaggerated fervor.

Bartolomeo gave him a look, but remained silent. He wasn't in the mood for dealing with idiots today. The last two months had been hell for the green haired pirate, what with his senpai's death and the other Strawhats he considered his idols thrown into this pit of trash, he was going to make somebody- or preferably more than one person- pay for it dearly. Pain involved, too. But for now, he would take his sweet time.

Mr. 3 looked shaken, but at least he was not trying to get himself bald.

"Such thing was thoroughly predictable. They are all idiots, ourselves included." He shook his head as he turned around to go towards the boiling bowl of lava. "Let's go."

"Did you just insult me too?" Buggy yelled as he scrambled after him.

* * *

"Oh, for _fuck's sake_!" Law cursed looking at the snails delivering the alarm. He glared at one of them, making the creature visibly sweat but it continued screaming anyway.

The former Shichibukai huffed in irritation.

"Finally, now things are getting interesting." Crocodile smirked, adjusting the coat on his shoulders.

Sabo shook his head in disbelief.

"We should hurry it up until the guards come." A shrill voice made them all jump.

Two heads turned to look at a horrified Law. The man bowed his head down to look at his jacket's zipper. It was partly open and a small head peeked through the hole.

The dwarf offered a smile to the horrified men.

"How the hell did you get in there?!"

"That's the last of our problems, Torao-land!"

* * *

Nami bit her lip so hard it bled, but the coppery taste did not help to lesser her pain in the least.

"Nami-san, are you all right?" A shushed voice asked from behind her. The young woman wanted to scream _no_ so hard, she had to physically stop herself from saying the damning word. She looked back at Brook and tried to smile, but ended up with a grimace.

"I'm fine."

She struggled to stand up from the kneeling position she had fallen in and adjusted the heavy load on her shoulder.

The skeleton behind her would have had a worried expression on his face- if he'd have one!

Brook sighed,this was no time for jokes. It was pretty obvious the orange head in front of him was definitely at the limit of her powers, but a look behind told him they wouldn't receive mercy for any reason they presented. Brook had been in Hell after he had died so he could only say that this prison was as close to the truth as it was humanly possible.

The large, overly grown animal currently whipping another poor inmate surely did not look too friendly.

The musician would have no problems fighting it normally, but now the Kairōseki shackles deprived him of any freedom. His chest- _if he'd had any...-_ hurt when the word popped inside his mind.

 _Freedom_ was a word that completely disappeared from his mind ever since the tragedy that landed them there happened. Their captain might or might not be dead, and because of his undeterred trust he had in his captain, Brook could only arrive at one conclusion.

If Luffy was alive, he will come to save them. If he was indeed dead, then the musician would make sure to take care of his crewmates, not matter what. This was his job and he would make sure he did it right.

Brook almost jumped when Nami stumbled. A bony hand reached out to help steady her and fought off the urge to repeat his earlier question. He was sure that Nami has had enough of those from him. Instead, he opted to stay silent, empty eye sockets urging her onwards.

The orange head finally managed to regain her balance. She exhaled in relief, not wanting to become the next victim of the mutated beast behind them. The prisoner's yells of pain pushed her forward and she moved, her mind carefully blank. If she was distracted, the chances of randomly stumbling over something went up to fifty percent.

Of course, her overworked mind could not stay still even for a moment in these conditions. Ever since she was thrown down here she could not sleep, no matter how exhausted she was and she could not eat, no matter how hungry she was. Sometimes she felt as if it was a way for her body to cease all activity and die slowly. Of course, Brook did not let that happen and she will be forever indebted to her good friend. He had to force her to both eat and sleep so she can keep up with this hell. Sometimes she wondered if that experience wasn't coming from his previous experience with the real Hell.

Even if her body refused to keep living, Nami's will hadn't been broken. She _had_ to keep living, no matter what.

 _Even if Luffy's not here anymore._

The thought brought a fresh wave of tears that would never fall to her eyes. She did not have any tears left to cry. They were consumed when she came here and from then on, the scorching heat did not let her shed even a single drop. And she was thankful. If she would have been able to cry, it would make her even more miserable. No matter what happened from then on, she would live with her head held high and never let anyone- not even that _goddamn_ bloody monster behind her- force her around like that. Well she didn't have any choice right now, but the Cat Burglar wouldn't let such a small thing as being held prisoner keep her in those shackles for long. They will break free out of this godforsaken place.

No matter what.

* * *

A blaring sound suddenly erupted around them and snapped the orange head from her thoughts. All the prisoners looked around in confusion while the humongous beast gave a loud growl and lifted up its weapon. People scrambled and Nami almost lost her balance _again_ , but Brook caught her both times. They moved as fast as they could to the other side of the bridge, far, far away from the dangerous warden.

Risking a look behind, light brown eyes watched the beast move in a confused circle, clearly not knowing what to do.

 _And that pink bitch is not here now to tell him. We are really lu-_

Her train of thought stopped abruptly when she slammed into someone's body. From what she could tell, it wasn't the skeleton.

"Nami-san!"

Brook's eyes would have widened when he saw them, but he did not have any!

There were three men with which their path intersected. One of them was swearing wildly on the ground next to Nami and the other two stood over them with mixed expressions of incredulity and relief.

The bespectacled man looked up and visibly jumped back a step when he saw him but then his face broke into a relieved expression.

 _What?_

"Goddamn you, can't you walk?!" Buggy sat up, rubbing at his swollen head. He looked at the bastard that dared run into him and froze.

Nami's shocked gaze stared right back, hand still rubbing her head. Her mouth hung open but no sound escaped.

Mr. 3 laughed from above and the clown gritted his teeth. What were the _fucking_ chances?!

"Nami-senpai, Brook-senpai, I'm so glad I found you!" Bartolomeo yelled, his face so happy it almost shined. He ran towards them but stopped at the last moment, looking like he had finally figured that throwing himself on them would not be helpful in the least.

Nami was about to ask just who the hell was he, when Mr. 3 intervened.

"Stand up." The black haired man commanded as he moved towards Nami. She visibly tensed, but obliged clearly having no other choice.

Brook stepped forward in a warningly manner, but the man did not seem perturbed.

"Just be patient, I can't release you two at the same time!" He said matter-of-factly, a white liquid forming from his hands and solidifying into a key.

Nami's shackles fell to the ground and the young woman swore she had never felt so free.

"What are you doing here?" She eyed Buggy, confusion clearly written in her eyes.

The clown glared. "Sure, you can thank us anytime!"

"We were searching for you." Mr. 3 answered as he released Brook. The skeleton did a happy pirouette, stretching his bony hands.

His confession startled both Strawhats.

"Why?" The question was no more than a whisper.

"The bastard Rayleigh sent us." Buggy explained as he stood up. "We are getting you out of here."

"And Luffy...?" Nami didn't want to ask this, but the name just spilled from her mouth.

Bartolomeo opened his mouth but the Shichibukai beat him to it.

"Dead." Buggy's face was as blank as his tone.

A shaky silence descended above them for a few short seconds before Brook broke it.

"Let's go."

Cavendish shivered as he walked through the frozen wasteland. Even with the beautiful hat on his head, it was still cold. He wrapped his coat tighter around his body and cursed those bastards inside his mind. Crocodile had a _fucking_ fur coat on him, couldn't he have handed it to him if he so completely refused to be the one to remain?!

 _Goddamn those blockheads and their insufficient attention span._

The blonde exhaled, watching as his breath turned into vapors before disappearing. He sincerely pitied the prisoners kept here. This whole level was like a giant refrigerator. It was like they were frozen here for good keeping. Cavendish snorted.

His blue eyes spotted a patch of fir trees in the distance and he immediately changed his course. It wasn't so far-fetched for these trees to grow here, but that meant the chances of new discoveries went higher up.

As he neared the first tree, a low growl suddenly erupted from behind it and before he knew it, the pirate was surrounded by white wolves that looked hungry and by the look in their eyes, crazy.

Sky blue eyes narrowed, his hand immediately latching to the hilt of his sword. The man won't take any chances, they didn't have time for that. This was a race against the clock and the guards stationed in the surveillance centers. If they were found out, they were dead meat.

Franky whistled as he refined his new invention. It was a crossbow complete with arrows and shooter. The blue haired man lifted himself up from the concrete floor of the empty stone house he was in with the intention of proudly presenting it to their sniper. His hands dropped to his sides when his eyes adjusted to his surroundings.

 _Of course._

In all his excitement, he forgot that they were in prison. From what he had heard about the other levels, the shipwright supposed he had it the easiest, even if he was standing in the middle of a snowstorm in only his inmate uniform. But the man had endured worse.

Jaw clenched tightly, Franky moved to stir the quenching fire. He'd have to go search for more firewood soon. Placing the crossbow down on the ground, he mentally prepared himself for the inevitable ice hell. Even with all the upgrades he did to himself, being deprived of Cola and new oil for so long was taking a toll on him. And he was sure they'd be there longer.

Giant metal fists clenched as he stared at the wooden object, though his eyes were unseeing, somewhere else way back in time.

Luffy wasn't a stupid guy, Franky had known it from the moment he met him. But he was clueless, oblivious and inattentive most of the time. So when he was battling with that AkaInu bastard, the shipwright knew what his captain was sure of. He would lose.

The Strawhats' captain had known from the moment the Marine's ships burst out of the ocean that he'd lose. Franky caught that split second darkening of his expression and the grim line of his mouth as he was fighting. Luffy's plan was to sacrifice himself and let them escape, but it didn't go his way.

They were all tired, and _inattentive_. Mistakes were made and the loyalty and trust in their captain had prevented all of them from leaving, Franky included. He had hoped, but it was for naught in the end. He didn't regret it at all. He swore his allegiance to the straw hat wearing pirate and he was damned sure he'd keep it, no matter how many years he'd have to go without Cola and oil.

Loud barks snapped him away from his thoughts and a cyan eyebrow lifted up in surprise. It was curious to see prisoners approaching the patch of fir trees. Everyone knew this was where the wolves were. That could only mean there were new inmates that tried to get themselves killed.

Shaking his head in disbelief, the shipwright opened the wooden door of the little shack, intent on helping the poor idiots, but quickly realized there was no need. His eyes settled on the half-shivering, half-irritated form of Cavendish and he could not contain the shocked expression that crossed his face.

The blonde pirate dropped the last white animal he kicked into oblivion to the ground, his other hand still clutching his bloody sword.

"I hope these retarded dogs aren't yours."

As if on cue, the alarms blared all around them.

* * *

 _LEVEL SIX_

Robin coughed softly but it still made her shackles clank. The raven head cringed as she stole a quick look at her cellmate- and crewmate.

 _Good, he's still asleep._

It didn't pass more than thirty seconds before his foot nudged hers. Robin sighed.

"You okay?"

He was too concentrated.

"I'm not the problem here." She saw his eyebrow lift up in question through the darkness. "You should sleep once in a while. No use getting slowly drained."

"I'm fine, I slept a while ago." The swordsman lied through his teeth. Robin saw right through it but didn't call him on it.

She knew the reason he was always on guard was that it could always come down to one of them being dragged out of there for execution. This happened regularly in level six. Inmates were constantly going in and out of the cells, some going for their executions, some only beginning their sentence. Zoro simply did not want to let any sound or move escape his notice because he was scared. Scared that he would lose his remaining friends.

Robin knew that feeling very well.

There was nothing to do here in the last level, the pit of the hole, the endless abyss as some defined it, besides keeping up with your thoughts. The archaeologist had never thought that a human could manage to stay in its own mind and simply _think_ for so much time, but there she was, all alone with her thoughts. And she was the usually quiet one.

Granted, the green haired man sitting on the other side of the cell wasn't such a bad chatting partner but after a while, all subjects of conversation were gone, leaving the stone room in silence once again.

Robin gazed through the darkness but what she saw wasn't the usual nothingness. Colors burst in front of her eyes and she tried to shut them tightly, but it didn't work. The colors were still there, more vivid than ever. She watched everything happen in fast forward again and again and when Luffy was captured by Sakazuki the sixth time was when she slammed her head on her knees as hard as she could. The memory ceased and the darkness returned.

The black haired woman wanted to cry but didn't dare. She has had enough of Zoro trying to awkwardly comfort her while he tried to deal with his own darkness. No, this time she would embrace the nothingness around her and try to lose herself with it.

Zoro watched the woman in front of him whimper quietly, but didn't say anything. His head turned to gaze at what he suspected, must have been the outside world, but the black persisted and it _irritated_ him.

He tried to keep himself from growling out loud since he didn't want Robin to think he was angry at her. She wasn't to blame for this situation, he was. He had failed and when his captain was captured by that bloody bastard he couldn't even get close enough to swing a good slash at him. He had been overpowered and lost in his self-assurance that Luffy could handle it. So when the black haired boy's body was dangling from AkaInu's hand, the First Mate couldn't even bring himself to _run_. He had the whole crew on his shoulders and he fucked it up _big time_.

 _I deserve every bit of this sentence._

But his friends didn't and that's what has been bothering him for the last two months. Watching Robin break down had been one of the things he had never even tried to consider before. That woman was though and she didn't let her emotions get the best of her, but it seemed she was not indestructible.

He was a fool to let himself get so comfortable in his own powers and in Luffy's. He went head first in battle without any thought other than enjoying his fight. His unwavering trust in his captain's power had been his downfall. And with him, everyone else fell.

Gritting his teeth, Zoro decided to stop fucking _thinking_ about it already! He's had more than enough of this shit. He just hoped something, _anything_ would just distract him. The man considered trying to strike up a conversation with Robin. Maybe they could get their heads off this constant nightmare.

His thoughts were surprisingly answered before he could speak though. As one, the whole hell of sharp and loud sounds that made your brain feel like bursting began to ring inside the dark.

Zoro smirked, feeling his ears bleed. It wasn't a bad distraction.

* * *

Usopp tried to move his hand but only managed a small twitch. A try with his other one and he came at the same conclusion. Sighing in exasperation, he looked up at his blonde friend who was glaring at the darkness outside.

 _Great._

The sniper could only hope that Sanji was not already losing his mind. He knew that he was starting to. He was lucky to have the Love Cook be his cellmate but even so, the silence sometimes was too much and he wished it to stop, _however strange that sounded_.

He shifted his leg into a more comfortable position and was relieved that he could at least feel his feet. He would go mad without them.

 _That was even stranger, ugh!_

"Hey Sanji, say something! Why the hell are you so silent now?" The teen complained.

In the first weeks, the cook's voice could be heard through the whole damn level. That's how loud he'd been. Compared to his silence now, Usopp surely wanted that Sanji back.

"The hell do you want me to do? Sing for you?" His biting remark did not hold anything. It was a simple remark devoid of any emotion, something that struck the sniper as strange and incompatible with the emotive man.

"Well, you could at least talk or something. This freaky silence is getting to me man..." The black haired teen began uncertainly, still trying to establish contact with his arms. His eyes did not catch the darkening of Sanji's face.

"You know, Usopp," the blonde began, eyes narrowing. His mouth twitched, a habit he had obtained in these two months without his cigarettes. It was driving him _crazy_. "You don't look so concerned about anything that has happened."

Usopp's stomach dropped at his friend's words and the ball of negative emotions he had kept locked inside his chest burst from a few simple sentences.

 _How dare he?!_

"Yeah, and what do you want me to do? Cry?! I fucking did that!" Usopp snapped, an action so unlike his usual self that it threw Sanji a little back.

But not for long. Glaring back at his friend, the blonde countered.

"I don't care what you fucking do! But you sure don't look to me like someone whose captain just _died_!"

"I do." The two words were whispered, but in the loud silence they were echoing off the walls. "You just don't want to look at me, or at anything else. You're drowning Sanji!"

The man grimaced. "Yeah," he agreed, "I am."

Encouraged by his admission, the sniper continued. "I was never an optimistic guy, so I know how to deal with negative feelings best." The corners of his mouth dropped. "I know how you feel Sanji. We are all in this together. You gotta talk about it."

"Hah," the blonde chuckled, "never thought I'd confess my problems to you."

He meant it as a joke and Usopp allowed the angry haze that washed over him moments ago to disperse. He attempted a small smile. "That's what friends are for."

His voice cracked but it didn't matter.

Sanji could not help but feel indebted to the sniper. Usopp truly wanted to help him. The smile looked almost comical on his battered and bloody face, but Sanji was sure his own was in the same state.

His thoughts darkened when he thought about the subject of their discussion, but he shook his head quickly. He was angry, but that wouldn't help him now. If he was drowning, then he'd accept the help. Drowning was not an enjoyable feeling to experience for a long time.

"Thanks."

The word seemed to turn on some kind of switch because the next thing Sanji found himself doing was wishing death to all the blasted snails that propagated the blaring alarm through the whole level.

* * *

Crocodile took a long look at the darkness awaiting them and snorted.

"Not to destroy your hopes, but we ain't gonna find them." He spoke above the blasting sound of alarms.

Sabo frowned and Law glared at him. Leo tried his best dangerous face on as well, but he looked more cute than bad.

"What." The statement was spoken in response to the dirty looks he received.

"Let's go." Sabo's fist caught fire, creating enough light to see their surroundings.

The quartet started at a fast pace, searching the cells as quickly as they could manage, all the while hoping some stroke of luck would befall them.

"This is going too slow." The Heart pirates' captain furrowed his brows, his posture impatient. They were not even at half the number of potential cells the Strawhats could be in.

"I told you we aren't gonna find them." Crocodile shook his head, looking like he was talking to a disobedient child.

The relaxed atmosphere irritated Law.

"Well, I don't see you even fucking trying. Are you here to be in the way?"

His growl was met with a sharp laugh. The man scowled before his eyes widened when he saw Crocodile's confused face.

The two looked inside the darkness searching for the source of the sound.

"You look as healthy as ever, Law." The sly voice brought a shiver on his spine and the ex-Shichibukai glared heatedly inside the void.

"And what do _you_ want?" He spat, taking a few steps forward. His eyes fixed on the man on the other side of the bars. Even from his distance, he could feel the infuriating effects of the Kairōseki stone.

"It's that how you speak to your seniors now?" Doflamingo's grin widened at the other's glowering face. "I've read the news and I know what you're here for. But it looks like Mugiwara got his divine punishment. Serves him right!" The blonde haired man's laughter echoed all around them.

Law sighed, his face becoming carefully devoid of any expression. It made Doflamingo raise a curious eyebrow.

"So that's what it was." He placed his hands on his hips, his eyes holding an amused, teasing light that made the incarcerated pirate want to strangle him. "Would you like to know a secret?"

Eyes hidden behind red glasses narrowed. He didn't have to answer that question, Law would tell him anyway. The blonde partially anticipated the answer.

"Strawhat-ya," Law smirked, a fist indenting on the cell's bars, "he's alive. We're gonna get him outta there."

He turned around, intent on leaving, but Doflamingo's words stopped him.

"How? No one can enter Mariejois."

"It's none of your business." The younger man growled. "You just keep enjoying your newspapers."

"Search for Baby 5."

Law stopped for the second time and gritted his teeth. The bastard was stalling him from his search and he was losing _fucking_ time.

"And why the hell should I?"

"She knows where my key is. There's a secret entrance that serves as an emergency exit."

"Why would you help us?" Law doubted his intentions as much as he doubted Doflamingo had suddenly become a good guy.

The man's grin only served to further confirm his thoughts. It might as well be a trap.

"'Cause I am fucking bored around here!" His confession made Law lift an eyebrow.

"I wanna see you people wreak havoc in there. I couldn't enact my revenge so why the hell shouldn't I take this opportunity to make you idiots go there and get yourselves and those snotty bastards killed? It will make a good front page, wouldn't you agree, Law?"

His words were followed by silence. The Surgeon of Death considered this for a while. It was obvious the man had no underlying intention, Law had been around him long enough to know that. Actually, what he said did not sound bad at all.

"Where's the door?"

Doflamingo almost chocked on his spit. "Don't tell me you are fucking considering this. When did you become as crazy as that straw hat bastard?" The man grinned madly.

Law smirked. "That's a question I'm always asking myself. Well?" He urged.

The blonde prisoner shrugged. "You're going to have ta' find it."

That was a good enough answer for the pirate as he made his exit without another word.

Crocodile remained, still quiet, as he studied the former Shichibukai. A sudden smirk crossed his face and he exhaled.

"Not so high up on your throne now, _former_ Shichibukai?"

Ignoring Doflamingo's glare, he moved to follow the other man. His eyes caught the flicker of light from behind a line of cells and a few hushed whispers. Absently, he noted that the alarms were off so they didn't have any more time. Chances were that the guards were already onto them.

* * *

"That's it!" Leo exclaimed as he exited the cell, pointing to the darkness inside.

Sabo trust his hand forward, illuminating the place. His eyes widened as he gazed down at the two people strapped to the walls by chains.

"Zoro-land, Robin-land can you hear us?" The Tontatta asked frantically. There was the clanking of metal against concrete and both of them looked on in hope, but the two remained silent.

 _Silence._

Sabo whipped his head to look up at where the snail should have been screaming, but all he found was a sleeping animal. Swearing under his breath, he locked eyes with Leo.

"How fast are you?"

The dwarf smirked. "Very fast!"

The blonde nodded. "I need you to go back there and find the keys. See if you can locate Law and Crocodile while you're at it."

Leo nodded and disappeared in a slant of wind.

Sabo dropped on the ground, looking inside the cage.

"What are you doing here?" Zoro's voice was cracked and no more than a whisper. The green haired man felt his throat as dry as the Alabastian desert.

Sabo frowned. "Getting you out."

"Why." The immediate reply threw him off.

"What do you mean _why_?" The blonde looked incredulous. He hoped he didn't hear right, but Robin's next words were his confirmation.

"You should not be here, Sabo-kun. Please leave." Her voice was as weak as Zoro's.

"Hell no!" The blonde exclaimed. "The hell did they do to you?!"

Sabo didn't want to admit it, but he was becoming more and more unnerved by this. With the exception of the alarm setting off, everything's been so perfect! And now the people they had to save didn't want to be saved!

 _What the hell kind of logic is that?!_

" _Nothing_." Zoro spit. "Get out of here. NOW."

Blonde eyebrows lifted up so high, they almost touched the hairline. They didn't want to be saved... who the hell did they think they were, some martyrs? Did they think that this was enough? Had Luffy's death been such an impact?

Well, of course it did have a huge impact, but that shouldn't make them act like this, goddammit!

Gritting his teeth, he fought off the urge to yell at them and possibly disclose the possibility that their captain might be alive. He didn't want to get their hopes up, in the _unlikely_ case that he wasn't, so he decided to remain silent and wait for the dwarf to come back. He'll drag them if he had to. He could care less about their selfless faces and self-sacrificing moods.

The trio remained silent for a few more minutes until another gust of wind signaled the return of the Tontatta. Leo showed the dangling keys proudly and Sabo smiled. The little guy was really helpful.

Quickly opening the Kairōseki door, the blonde stepped inside and paused. It would be really irritating to have them- especially _Zoro_ \- fight back when they dragged them away. So he decided to keep them in chains for now, however bad treatment to victims that was. Sabo almost huffed at the irony.

Leo helped him detach the steel from the walls and did not ask any question when the blonde hid the keys inside his coat, making no attempt to release the two.

"Sabo." Zoro growled, eyes narrowed.

Leo almost stepped back in surprise. Why was Zoro-land refusing to move from his spot?

The Chief of staff refuted his glare with his own one. "We can do this the hard way or the easy way. If you don't want to be dragged when you're unconscious then you better keep your mouth shut and let yourselves be dragged consciously. Is that clear?"

The two clashed scorching glares, but the match didn't last for long.

 _"Is this bloody thing working?"_

The voice was unmistakable and it made Sabo release a laugh. What the hell were those three doing?

There was a shuffle of something in the background and a few shouts before an explosion happened in the distance. After a few seconds of static, the same voice spoke again.

 _"A message to the bloody idiots on the lower levels:"_ The speaker inhaled audibly and then, " _YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASSES UP HERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE LOSING TIME FOR?!"_

The sentence was so long and loud, the two Strawhats visibly winced. Their eyes held a recognition light, though.

"Is that...?" Zoro began uncertainly.

 _"Thanks for destroying our ears jackass."_ Another voice that was more familiar to Robin than to Zoro deadpanned, making the woman blink.

 _"Oi, are Robin-senpai and Zoro-senpai alright?! Answer me or I kill you, ya hear!"_

"The fuck is the fanboy doing here?" The First Mate whispered, his eyes on the snail.

"That's what I wanna know too." Usopp sighed.

Four heads turned to see both their sniper and Sanji walk, their arms and legs still bound with the chains. Behind them were Crocodile and Law.

Zoro's eyes narrowed on the cigar smoking bastard. "The hell is he doing here?"

Robin glowered from next to him. Sanji agreed.

"The bastard dragged us out of the cage after some wind opened it without questions asked. What the hell kind of saviors are you?"

The man in question simply ignored him. After he observed them for a full ten seconds, he turned around to where they came from. "They are almost here. Let's go."

They didn't need to be told twice. Despite protests from the four bound pirates, each one of them grabbed a chained person and they ran for it.

Despite his small form, Leo packed a strong force and Sabo was very impressed. He'd like to have a chat with the dwarf when they got back.

Fortunately for them, the ex-prisoners did not manage to put up a good fight since they weren't in the best of conditions, so the four ended up really being dragged by their saviors. In the background, Buggy's voice was urging them on in his _original_ way.

 _"Come on bastards, go, go, go! We've got no time ta' waste. The green haired bastard is stalling them for now, but we don't know when his shitty power's gonna go out. Hurry the fuck up!"_

There was an indignant shout in the background, a few choice words were exchanged and a snort escaped the clown before he spoke again.

 _"He just said he's an idiot and confessed his power's shitty. You better hurry your asses, we can't rely on this guy."_

It was pretty obvious at this point that the Shichibukai was just doing it for his own entertainment.

"That fucking idiot should learn to keep his mouth shut." Crocodile snorted. "This is the second time I'm breaking out of this prison with those idiots in tow."

Sabo laughed. "Then you should work better in a team. We are relying on you."

The black haired man opened his mouth but closed it back. He shook his head and continued on with the others, urged on by Buggy's obscene comments and the fighting in the background of the recording.

* * *

"Can't you tell me at least _why_ are you dragging me?" Franky asked as he hurried on after Cavendish. The man had the chains from his shackles in his hands, and was actually running pretty fast! It took a lot of effort for the cyan haired robot to keep up with him. He blamed this on his low levels of oil.

Cavendish barely looked back as he answered. "'Cause you're so slow it'll take us years until we reach the stairs."

Franky wanted to protest, but a look at himself and his speed and he had to agree with the man.

"Why the hell are you so _heavy_?!" The blonde huffed, already partly worn out. The guy was seriously heavy! Was it even healthy to have a thousand kilos?

"Heh, it's heavy metal alloy bro. Resistant to all weather and safe of short circuits. Can't help you on this one." He grinned looking proud of himself. Cavendish shook his head in exasperation but he encouraged himself on, ignoring the clown's background 'cheering'. He'll stab him when he'll see him.

His eyes settled on the stairs and he thanked all gods out there. Rayleigh and Jinbei had both insisted they use the stairs _at all times._ They argued it was safer, since the elevator could always be stopped and they'd be caught in a literal cage.

"I don't think this is the best strategy out there, you know. Maybe we should wait to regroup with the others." Franky offered, looking really unsure. He still wasn't sure if this was a saving mission or a suicide one. Both sounded pretty random timed to him anyway.

"I ain't gonna wait for those slowpokes. We are regrouping on the fourth level. Besides, why would I wait for those idiots? I can take care of whoever tries to stop us." He said as he swung the wooden doors open and stepped back.

An army of prison guards equipped to their teeth with weapons was revealed. The stairs couldn't be seen anymore from their dense numbers.

Franky made a noise between a curse and an 'I told you'.

Cavendish smirked and took out his sword. "You just watch me."

* * *

Jinbei chuckled as he took out another guard. These people were sure interesting, he was glad he could take part in this. The fishman looked at the battered Chopper placed safely on his back and bound by a piece of material. He looked like a baby.

The forces sent to the front entrance where he was currently located were pretty easy to beat. He's had a few hard times when he fought the giant koala but the karate master beat him in the end. Now he was just waiting for the others to come while trying to keep the exit as clear as possible. He knew the problem would be for them to get here through the waves of guards, but he was sure they could handle it. They were grownups and knew how to follow a plan.

Jinbei snorted.

* * *

Buggy kicked one last guard on the head and smiled. This was revenge.

"Stop that, it looks wrong on you."

The clown glared at his comrade, who glared right back.

"Could you please stop that?" Nami moaned, hands over her eyes.

"Nami-san, look what I found!" Brook exclaimed, excited for some reason. He was carrying a huge bundle of cloth which turned out to be three certain _katanas_ , her Clima-Tact, Kabuto, his cane and violin.

The navigator smiled widely as she touched her weapon for the first time in two long, hellish months.

Mr. 3 eyed the two before his head turned to Buggy.

"Why the hell did you say that Strawhat is dead?" He whispered, casting a look back to make sure they didn't hear.

The clown eyed him with an expression only meant for idiots. "Are you an idiot?" He asked sarcastically.

The bespectacled man rolled his eyes.

"Why the hell should we get their hopes up?" Buggy whispered back heatedly. "That bastard Rayleigh isn't sure _himself_ the idiot's alive. Our mission is getting them out of here and that's that. The rest is the old man's problem."

Mr. 3 had to blink as he actually processed the fact that Buggy-of all people-had made a solid statement complete with arguments and all the other stuff.

 _This world is going to hell. Please don't let this be the sign of death._

"Yo-you actually made sense!" The wax man could not help but gasp.

A vein threatened to burst on Buggy's head. "What do you mean by that?! I'm always making sense!" He yelled, attracting everyone's attention.

Bartolomeo snorted from his place at the door. He had his barrier up and was currently mocking and showing rude signs to the soldiers that tried to get in.

"Like hell you do. Better refresh your knowledge."

Buggy was about to explode at him with all the unrestrained fury of a pirate clown, but stopped himself when some shouts were heard over the Den Den Mushi. He approached the wall where the screens were displaying various places inside the prison. Looking down at the screen, Buggy almost yelped when he saw a crazy looking horse-guy decimate an army on the stairs between level five and four with the Strawhats' cyborg looking at him horrified in the background.

The clown shook his head.

 _He didn't want to deal with this shit now._

As if ordered by the Heavens, the Warden and Vice-Warden appeared with a huge army on their backs at the doors, intent on recapturing the lost Warden's office currently occupied by the invaders.

Buggy flipped a table.

* * *

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Usopp yelled as he tried to regain his balance. He had almost broken his nose when Leo jumped the last few steps to level five, leaving the sniper to try and catch up with him and gravity. It did not end well.

"Sorry Uso-land!" The dwarf apologized absently, still dragging him at full force.

Usopp groaned but tried to keep up. He doubted Leo would slow down, the Tontatta was full of energy and excitement. And it was killing the sniper. _Slowly_.

"What the hell happened here?" Law asked no one in particular when they had finally arrived- after a longer while than it should have been!- close to the stairs leading to the next level and stopped to study a particularly bloody and mutilated corpse.

 _What the hell had happened here?_

"I think Cabbage-land just opened up a path for us!" Leo exclaimed, the energy rolling off him in waves. The others had to take a step back. Too much joy and happiness for a normal pirate.

"Doesn't matter," Sabo shook his head. "Move."

The trail was bloody and it looked like a literal slaughter was performed on the stairs going to level four. Now the hellish prison look was complete.

Stepping over a carefully crafted body with its eyes taken out and a few intricate designs that were really artistic, Sanji cringed. Who the hell was the butchering maniac anyway?

The needed time to arrive on the next level was longer than the previous, considering the mountain of bloody obstacles they had to step around and sometimes _on_ to get higher, not to mention the stench. Usopp shuddered.

What they saw in level four made them reconsider their earlier statement about the stairs. Corpses scattered everywhere, all in positions not possible for a _breathing_ human being to be in. And the trail followed until somewhere after the bridge. It took a turn to the left, but they ignored it in favor of concentrating on the scene before them.

In front of what they assumed was the warden's office, a huge battle was underway. Disregarding the growing mountain of corpses, Law looked past the blood and screams and spotted a crazy looking Cavendish that was swinging his sword with so much fervor, it looked like he was possessed. Buggy was next to him, alternatively being cut by his supposed ally and by the Warden himself.

Hannyabal looked frantic, his eyes inattentive and posture rigid, as he fought with loud battle cries and desperate swings of his lance. It did nothing but aggravate the clown pirate. Mr.3 was behind him, taking care of one side while Bartolomeo stalled Magellan and his poison on the other side. They seemed to be protecting the entrance to the office.

"This is as good opportunity as ever." Crocodile stepped forward intent on getting it on with those two.

Sabo understood the meaning behind his words and nodded.

"Leo take care of these four please." The blonde smiled down to the dwarf who grinned back. He was happy to be needed!

Shaking his head in exasperation, Law prepared himself as well. They had to make it short and escape no matter what. This was to be their first priority. He did not get to take another three steps before Buggy's head was on him, literally.

"The fuck took you so long?!" The head screeched.

The Strawhats blinked.

"What the hell is happening here?" Law did not beat around the bush.

"We are trying to keep them away while we were waiting for your slow as hell asses to arrive. One more minute and I was going to kill you!" Buggy glared and the former Shichibukai in front of him glared right back.

"You have a plan, or I kill them all?" Crocodile exhaled grey smoke, his golden hook glinting in the red light.

The clown's face was deadpan. "We aren't idiots like you. The elevator is in the Warden's office that we've got under control. The only problem is that we have to somehow stall those two off," he looked at the Warden and Vice Warden pointedly, "and another hundred of their soldiers so we can go up. The green haired freak already volunteered. If you wanna kill 'em so bad then you stay too."

"Huh, I don't need another idiot to drag me down." The black haired man furrowed his brows.

"That's not my business!" Buggy shouted. A round of wails came from the crowd behind them and he looked back shortly before his head turned to look at them again. "Open up a path and enter the room. The others are already there."

With that, the head flew back to its owner. Law smirked and unsheathed his sword. Next to him Crocodile's smirk was even wider. Sabo shook his head, bursting into flames.

"You drag them Leo. I will bring up the rear."

The dwarf nodded and prepared himself along with the exhausted prisoners. They had been unusually silent, but all four were actually speechless to see these strange people-that had been their enemies, minus Sabo and Leo-actually work together to get them out of there. Not to mention the strange green haired guy and the blonde. In Robin, Zoro and Usopp's cases, they knew them and were even more surprised to see them here as well.

"Run for it!" Leo snapped them out of their thoughts, and they almost lost their footing from the speed and force of the pull. The crowd opened up, courtesy of Law and Crocodile and before they knew it, the screams and weapons were behind them.

A large, furnished room opened up and it did not take them long enough to spot their crewmates near a large entrance.

Nami smiled widely, waving at them enthusiastically. Brook whooped in joy and Franky offered them a shaky smile, all the while muttering about psychotic blonde swordsmen.

"NAMI- _SWAN,_ ROBIN- _CHWAN,_ I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU!" Sanji exclaimed loudly, his eyes heart shaped.

Zoro and Usopp sweat-dropped. He was back to normal.

"Wasn't Robin with us all this time?" Usopp asked Sanji but the cook ignored him in favor of listening to the navigator.

"Brook found our weapons." The orange head pointed to a large bundle on the skeleton's back, completely ignoring the blonde cook. Her eyes widened. "Why are you still in chains?"

Looking down at themselves, the level six prisoners concluded that they were indeed the only ones with chains on.

"I didn't want to risk them doing something stupid." Sabo confessed as he entered the room, a wall of flames behind him.

Franky gasped when his eyes settled on the blonde which made the other two Strawhats that didn't know him even more confused.

"And you had to drag us around the whole prison." Zoro scowled.

The blonde laughed. "It was really funny, though. Well you'll have to endure it for a little while longer. We still need Mr. 3's help over there. And I lost the keys." He added sheepishly when the swordsman eyed his coat.

"Now that we are on the subject," Sanji looked outside where the backs of their allies(?) could be seen through the haze. "How did it come to this?"

Sabo smiled. "We'll explain it later."

* * *

"And I'm saying that I should be the one to stay!" Bartolomeo yelled, glaring at Crocodile.

The man scoffed. "You'd be useless so just go."

This seemed to aggravate the green haired man further but before he could speak, Sabo intervened.

"Maybe you should both stay...?" He stopped when two glares zeroed in on him.

"Tch, stupid idiots stage a rescue mission and they can't even complete it." Zoro muttered, shaking his head. Sanji and Usopp nodded from next to him.

"You should be grateful we've got your asses out of there." Buggy pointed an accusing finger at the trio.

"Yeah, why should I die where I was supposed to when I can get killed because of you idiots and your half-assed plans."

"That's enough Zoro." Robin whispered harshly, looking at him with furrowed brows.

The green haired man looked ready to argue but Nami's warning glare finally stopped him.

"I've got an idea!" Leo exclaimed, looking at the group from the ground. He jumped up on Sabo's shoulder for a better view.

The people in the room all looked at him with various expressions, waiting for him to begin speaking.

"We need someone who can protect us when the elevator doors open on the first level. Bartolomeo should come with us." He pointed to the green haired man. "Croco-land and Buggy-land stay here and keep them occupied."

"WHAT WHY ME-"

"But first Sabo-land and 3-land launch a big attack and reinforce the doors so they are occupied for a while. The rest of us go up."

Cavendish actually considered the plan. It seemed legit. After he had woken up from his nap/Hakuba personality, he was confused for a few moments about what was happening, but the Strawhats' skeleton filled him in on the details.

"It sounds good." The blonde finally said, breaking the silence.

Law nodded. "Good plan, Leo. I'm surprised."

The dwarf grinned.

Buggy begged to defy. "Why the hell do I have to stay here too?! I can't fly!"

"Yes you can if your feet remain on the ground."

The clown looked taken aback when he heard the secret of his Devil Fruit ability spilled out so easily.

"So you have to stay here _because_ you and Croco-land can transform and fly, so it'd be no problem for you to go up fast." The Tontatta explained matter-of-factly, his tone deadpan, making the clown feel more and more like an idiot with each word. "After we arrive on the first level and the elevator stops you can get out of here."

"We'll block it from up there." Mr. 3 adjusted his glasses.

"There's only one flaw in that plan of yours." Crocodile inhaled from his cigar. "Magellan is a Logia type too. I bet he can fly too."

"Then you'll just have to be faster." Leo's eyes shined in challenge.

"We'll be at the submarine already when you get up so head straight for the exit." Law commented, crossing his arms.

A short silence passed over the group as each of them absorbed in the new plan.

Zoro admitted he was impressed by this. Robin's small smile made him raise an eyebrow but he didn't ask. He cast a look at his friends and inwardly sighed in relief. They looked _bad_ , but they were all alive. That was enough for him. He noted that Chopper was not there and hoped he was on the upper levels. He couldn't wait to see the small reindeer too.

Another boom from the outside was their cue. The circle split abruptly and the larger group consisting of the Strawhats, Cavendish, Law and Leo entered the elevator.

Sabo and Mr. 3 took their places by the door. Bartolomeo used his Barrier Clash to clear the way and surprise their enemies before he made a run for the others.

Sabo's body burst in flames, Mr. 3 cursed from besides him.

"My wax is going to melt if your flames are so near. It's not going to keep anyway..."

A blonde eyebrow rose up at his confession and was about to ask what he had planned, but the two higher-ups of the prison were already on their feet.

" _Hiken_!" The revolutionary shouted as flames enveloped the two and the whole army in front of them. The scorching heat continued even after Sabo stopped attacking and he silently thanked his luck for the fire level they were in.

He turned on his heels and re-entered the room as the doors swung closed behind him.

Mr. 3 took out a big wax cube. The white substance fell off and dripped to the ground. Sabo's eyes widened when he saw the huge chunks of ice.

"The cyborg was using them for fuel." The bespectacled man explained. He directed his hands to the doors, and wax combined with ice covered the whole length and height.

The blonde touched it and reeled back. "It's like metal."

Mr. 3 nodded. "With the ice, it should not melt so fast."

Screams were heard from the other side and the two ran to the elevator.

"Keep up the good job, captain." Mr. 3 teased as he patted a trembling Buggy's back mockingly when he passed by. The pirate cursed him.

Arriving inside, the bespectacled man tweaked with the switches and the machine began ascending almost immediately. Silence descended inside the cramped space but it was broken by Leo.

"Barto-land you stay in the front and run with the barrier on. 3-land can you make a cover for us?" The dwarf asked, looking at the man expectantly.

He nodded hesitantly. Leo grinned.

* * *

"How much freaking time do they need to climb up?!" Buggy asked, already on the edge of hysterics.

The thumps at the door were more and more powerful and the wax had already begun to melt!

Crocodile _tsked_ but remained silent overall, watching the sealed doors attentively. He tried to ignore the crazed clown.

The sounds made by the elevator changed and then stopped completely, signaling that the group had arrived at their destination and they were free to go.

The former and the current Shichibukai looked back to the dark, empty space where the elevator had been and then to the door. Buggy didn't need to be told twice. Running on air at full speed, he jumped inside the dark, following his feet upwards.

Crocodile frowned and cursed that he didn't have the chance to fight the two wardens, but was quickly forced to rethink his choices when the doors burst open and the whole Impel Down army led by an enraged Magellan and a not-so-enraged-but-hesitant Hannyabal stood ready to take his head off his shoulders. Frowning, the former convict summoned his biggest wave of sand intent on burying them.

Poison clashed with sand and Crocodile decided to screw this shit. He'll have time for revenge when there wasn't the whole freaking population of the East Blue -metaphorically speaking, the number was what mattered- trying to skewer him. He didn't like to run from a battle, but he knew when to save his life.

Throwing another wave and a tornado for good measure, he took off after the clown.

* * *

"There are more guards than freaking prisoners, _what the fuck_?!" Law growled as he struggled to not stumble on his own feet, on the bodies scattered on the ground and on Franky.

 _Great._

"This shit is really heavy." Zoro mumbled as he struggled to keep the cover above himself.

There were a few muttered agreements from the group currently running while holding the heavy wax casket above their heads.

"Well I'm sorry to have been of help!" Mr. 3 shouted indignantly from behind Bartolomeo at the front of the group. The green haired man was the luckiest one to not have to hold the heavy thing, instead concentrating on keeping up his barrier.

"This might be heavy, but it's really effective. Let's hurry up." Sabo shouted from the back. He was keeping up the rear again with Leo as a watch out in case someone tried to stab him in the back.

There weren't _that_ many guards still conscious on level one, but there were enough to cause trouble. Thankfully, the casket was keeping most bullets away.

After a few more minutes of navigating through the halls, with Nami's help, the three people in the front finally shouted out in joy.

"I see the exit!"

Everyone visibly exhaled in relief.

The feeling did not last long.

With a heavy metal screech, the heavy gate started descending.

"What the fuck, wasn't it Jinbei's job to keep it open?" The Heart pirate's captain tried to look outside through the small holes for the fishman but didn't see him anywhere.

"I see him! He's running to the door too!" Bartolomeo shouted.

"Faster you slowpokes or we're gonna be locked in here for real!" Cavendish exclaimed and everyone picked up their speed, running as hard as they could.

Sanji did not think he would ever be so exhausted from running this little. Two months were too much time after all.

"Are there any guards left?" Usopp asked, trying to peak through the holes. It was pretty hard when you were running for your life.

"What do you think?" Cavendish snapped.

"Yeah, there are a few thousands behind us." Sabo's uneasy reply came from the end of the group.

" _THOUSANDS?!_ "

"Fuckin-"

"Everyone!" The fishman's voice was heard through the thick wax walls. "Please hurry, the gate is almost closing and I cannot keep it in place, it's too heavy!" Jinbei looked on frantically trying to search for anything that could hold it and not get smashed into pieces. He stood under the descending metal, gaze alternating between watching the approaching white _thing_ and the gate. Behind them were _a lot_ of soldiers, and that was an understatement. And behind those could be seen two flying figures and one looked to be made of sand-

 _Wait._

Law was thinking along those lines too. The man looked left and right in search for something durable before it clicked. Eyes looked up to their roof and he smirked.

" _Room._ "

A wind suddenly began to blow and before the group knew it, their white cover was missing. Most of them stumbled from the sudden weight being lifted from their shoulders and yelped in surprise.

A small poof came from above followed by a delighted shout.

"Chopper!" Nami exclaimed, squeezing the life out of the small reindeer, however sad and literal it was.

Before they could be confused, Law yelled, still running to the door. "What are you standing there for, go!"

They did not need to be told twice.

"Good job, Law. I will stay and wait for the other two." Jinbei said when Law and the others were almost to the gate. "Go."

The pirates continued on. The Strawhats smiled at the fishman and he smiled back, urging them on. They were almost there.

When they finally stepped outside, Nami could not believe the day finally came. She couldn't believe that after two months of being imprisoned under the ocean, she would be able to see it again in all its blue splendor. The Navigator almost cried.

Robin inhaled a fresh breath of air and smiled. It was good to be back. She watched Usopp discreetly wipe his eyes and her smile widened.

Franky grinned, feeling the fatigue disappear little by little. He could not wait to see Sunny. Brook would have grinned as wide as Franky did, if he'd have a face!

"Yohoho!"

Sanji's face relaxed and he finally allowed himself to breathe for real. He looked at the battered Chopper and his face dropped a little, but he knew the small reindeer would be alright. All of them will, no matter what. And Sanji would make sure they will eat the best food he could make.

Zoro's face remained blank. The swordsman did not allow himself to feel anything besides irritation at seeing the blue ocean again. The ocean where Luffy was killed and it looked _so fucking peaceful, how dare-_

"Sanji-dono, Strawhats!" Someone shouted from the water.

Now that they looked better, there was no ship, how were they supposed to get out of there?

Usopp almost pointed out the obvious when Law and Cavendish, who were leading the group, jumped in the water without hesitation.

 _What._

Mr. 3 and Leo were next, which made the Strawhats even more confused.

Before jumping, Bartolomeo stopped and turned towards them with a sparkling face.

"This way, everyone. Please hurry!"

He almost melted when Robin smiled at him. Zoro rolled his eyes at the display. Sanji growled at the unknown guy.

Looking downwards, Franky's eyes widened. "Is that-"

"What the hell are you stopping for you idiots, JUMP!" Law yelled from the deck of his submarine. Most of the Heart pirates were there as well, encouraging them to jump.

"We are all ready to take you to safety!" Duval waved, trying- but failing- to wink.

Sanji growled again, but with less ferocity than usual.

* * *

"Shark Tile True Punch!"

Thirty guards were blown away from the impact, but more took their places. Jinbei gritted his teeth. The casket won't hold for much longer.

 _Where were they?_

"JINBEI!"

A wave of poison hit the distant rows of guards, making them scream in pain. The fishman cursed. Just great.

Magellan's face was more than livid. It couldn't possibly get redder.

"I won't let you leave this prison!" The man roared, summoning a giant wave of poison and sending it towards the blue skinned man. "Where are those _goddamn_ reinforcements?!" He added, looking at one of his officers expectantly.

The poor man shrugged and fainted from fear.

* * *

Jinbei froze for a second, not knowing how to counter the large toxic wave. Water was too far away, so he had only one other choice. Concentrating despite the approaching danger, the fishman jumped to attack but was tackled to the ground and flung on the other side of the gate along with a sand storm, flying pirate parts and poison.

The mash rolled along the deck and seemingly dropped into the water from the prison's point of view, but in reality, the trio was splashed on the Heart pirates' deck, breathing hard and covered in poison and sand. It did not help that they dropped without preamble, so some crewmembers were touched by the substance as well.

Screams erupted, but Law was prepared for that. "Get them inside and let's go." He ordered and his subordinates scrambled to complete the preparations for submerging.

Duval shook off his stupor and ordered his men to descend before doing the same. Their part was to lead the submarine and make sure it wasn't attacked back to the meeting point. The prison would retaliate for sure and they were the cavalry that would stop them.

* * *

Smoker looked at his clock and exhaled. They should be there in two hours, at most.

"Do you think they made it?" Tashigi asked from next to him. She had a worried expression on her face and it made her superior snort.

"What, don't tell me you are worrying for pirates now?"

The black haired woman looked at him with a mixture of shock and denial.

"Red Haired Shanks called." Hancock spoke from the door to her cabin.

This drew everyone's attention to her.

Her eyes were hard, but her expression relaxed, a small upturn of the lips barely visible.

"Mission complete."

* * *

 **A/N: Hi! :D**

 **Here comes the second chapter, that is _very_ long (and I'm proud of that xD) **

**On another note: I had _total_ fun when I first wrote this chapter. I love Impel Down (however strange that sounds, it being a hellish prison and so on) but it was the perfect place for Buggy to return to... poor guy xD**

 **I'm happy that everyone liked the first chapter and I hope you continue to enjoy my story! ^^**

 **Reviews and Feedback are loved~!**


	3. Chapter 3

HOPE

* * *

 _Let's reel back time for a while and witness the events of one day before, at the same time the 'Rescue Team' entered Impel Down._

Red Haired Shanks sighed in content, shifting on his chair in search of a more comfortable position. He was currently enjoying the sun's warm rays and his crew's frantic shouts in the background.

He felt small thump on his head and lifted his eyes up to gaze at the face of his First Mate.

"And what do you think you're doin', cap'?" Ben Beckman raised an eyebrow at his choice of occupation in the middle of preparing for their important 'part' in the Dark King's plan.

"Enjoying the sun, my friend. You should try it sometimes." The red head replied easily, his eyes closing once again.

"If I'd do something like that then this crew would be dead, us included." The grey haired man deadpanned, making his captain laugh.

"That's why you have premature grey hair, Benny!"

* * *

"Marco, we are ready." Jozu crossed his arms, watching the blonde haired man nod and resume his staring at the ocean depths.

They were currently near the former Marine headquarters, at the bottom of the ocean. If the currents were favorable, their meeting with the Red Hair pirates would be happening in two hours at most.

"What exactly is Rayleigh-san's plan?" The third division commander dared to ask.

Marco hadn't told them much after his return to the ship. His only orders were to prepare for submerging and that they were going to Marineford, something many of his crewmembers were dreading.

Marco blinked, and turned his back to the railing, giving his friend his full attention. A small smile played on his lips as he spoke.

"We'll be fighting with Red Hair's crew."

All eyes on deck widened at overhearing their captain's words. He had spoken out loud enough for everyone to hear him.

"Of course, not seriously. But we'll have to put in some explosions and flashes for it to work out."

Jozu stood frozen in place for a moment, before he shook his head.

"Why? How would that help the Strawhats?"

"We will be the diversion." Marco crossed his arms, eyes staring back again at the ocean's bottom. "We have to keep the Marine's attention on us and make sure reinforcements don't get to have a chance to sail out towards Impel Down."

"So that's why you called this many allies." Jozu concluded and Marco nodded.

Everything made sense now. Their job was to be the best actors they could. For pirates such as them, that would be a hard job to do. They were too lax and uncaring of their actions to try something so organized like this.

Their captain seemed to think along those lines too because he turned his head back to gaze at his shocked crewmates and grinned. "Well, it doesn't have to be a serious fight, but it'll be a fight nonetheless."

The division leader sighed partly in relief when the cheers of the crew erupted from all around them. The blonde sure knew how to motivate them. That's why they chose him as their captain, after all.

"All right, back to your posts."

* * *

 _Purupurupuru-_ katchin

"Yes?" A gruff voice spoke to the little blue snail on his desk. Suddenly, the animal's face contorted into a horrified expression, the voice of the speaker becoming frantic.

"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, sir. We have a situation!"

The Fleet Admiral raised a surprised eyebrow. "Go on." He urged.

The soldier didn't need too much encouraging as he began speaking hurriedly.

"Sir, the Red Haired pirates and the Whitebeard pirates have made contact!"

Sakazuki was immediately on his feet. Those two crews attempting an alliance might as well destroy the balance of the world. He set out to go after them himself, but the voice on the other side was not done.

"And they are attacking each other!" As if to accentuate this, a few explosions were heard in the distance.

The marine was even more confused. "Where are you soldier? Are you from the patrols that's been keeping an eye on them?"

There was a static pause for a few moments which made the Devil Fruit user think that the man hung up, but then the snail burst to life again.

"No sir!" The man continued. "I am stationed in Marineford. They are fighting here!"

Sakazuki cursed fervently. What the hell were those two doing fighting against each other at _Marineford_ of all places was above him, but he wasn't going to stand around doing nothing.

As if on cue, the other Den Den Mushi inside his office started to ring at once. Ironically, he'd be doing nothing but answering phone calls for the next few hours.

* * *

Another explosion from a cannon destroyed an empty decoy vessel, though the pirates on the ships near it screamed and wailed as if in pain. The two crews grinned at each other, before resuming their mock battle.

Shanks shook his head in amazement.

"I didn't know these guys could be so happy. And it's not even a real fight." The man parried a barrage of blue flames courtesy of Marco with his sword.

The blonde man snorted, obviously thinking the same. "It doesn't really matter. At least they're having fun."

The red head grinned, launching a counterattack. "Then we should try doing this more often! It's fun for me too."

"Not likely, Red Hair." The deadpan reply was covered by another huge explosion and fake roar from the pirates all around them.

* * *

"Ivankov called. They are keeping them under control!" Vista shouted from his so-called duel with one of Red Hair's swordsmen. He was in charge of their Den Den Mushi for the moment.

Ben Beckman launched a few bullets before he faced Jozu. "Any news from the Marine Headquarters?"

The third division commander shook his head. "I can't believe it either, but we might just have the Devil's luck on our side this time."

The First Mate of the Red Hair pirates exhaled the smoke from his cigarette and shot another blank. "That means Luffy's alive."

The statement made everyone around him stop and stare at the grey haired man.

"And why do ya' think that?" Fossa asked.

The pirate in question shrugged and spoke in a tone usually used for talking about the weather. "That kid's luck usually makes such miracles happen. If everything goes smoothly and those kids get out of Impel Down without someone dying, then Strawhat Luffy is alive." The man flicked his cigarette into the water. "Mark my words."

With that, he started shooting randomly again.

The other pirates remained dumfounded for a few moments longer, doubt written on all their faces, before they decided to not bother with it anymore. What happens, happens.

* * *

"What do you mean they broke in?!" Sakazuki yelled to a white Den Den Mushi before addressing another pink one.

"Unit one, answer me!"

"Sir, we request back-up immediately!" The soldier on the white snail said urgently.

The Fleet Admiral glared at the small animal. "I just sent it two hours ago! Didn't they arrive already?!"

Sakazuki was becoming more and more irritated with each second passing by and no news received from the soldiers sent to back up Impel Down's forces. Intruders _again_ in the most secure prison in the world should be impossible! He had made sure of that.

A knock on his door interrupted him from melting his office.

"What is it?!" The man growled, making the poor officer cower.

"Si-sir! I am here with news from Mariejois!"

Sakazuki lifted a hand up, signaling him to stop. He looked at the still transmitting snails and decided nothing would change if he would take a small break. Hanging up, the man gave his full attention to his subordinate standing by the door.

The younger officer cleared his throat and continued speaking. "The Celestial Dragons are requesting back up for the main security guard. They ordered the soldiers must be only Lieutenant level or higher!"

The Fleet Admiral's fist transformed into lava and started melting away his desk. This action made the poor officer gulp back a surprised scream and sweat bullets. His superior was _furious._

Another knock interrupted attempted homicide.

"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, sir." A pink head poked through the doorway. "I am here to hand in some reports," Coby paused to take in the room in general before his eyes shifted to its occupants. The nameless officer almost jumped to hug him. The pink haired man was even more confused.

Sakazuki jolted, looking as if he'd only now realized Coby was there. His eyes scanned the partially hidden soldier that stood behind the door, and his mind arrived at a rapid conclusion.

"Captain Coby, you have a mission."

The marine froze for a second before nodding his head slowly and fully entering the room.

"Do you have anyone over Lieutenant rank in your unit?"

* * *

 _I am so lucky, I can't even believe myself. How the hell could this even be? What were the_ _ **fucking**_ _chances? No, better question would be_ _ **when**_ _did_ _ **I**_ _begin having so much luck?_

Coby shook his head in disbelief, the earlier events still replaying inside his mind. The Fleet Admiral gave him a pretty simple mission, but the place they were going to was _exactly_ where the pink haired soldier had been struggling to go to for almost a month.

 _HOW._

"Yo, Coby. You okay inside there?"

Helmeppo's question snapped him back to reality. Funny, the marine didn't even know how he got back to his shared room.

"You look like shit." The blonde man continued, still eyeing him. He was sitting on his bed, a book about fighting techniques resting next to him.

Coby fought back the urge to smile, but in the end his face blossomed into the biggest grin Helmeppo saw his friend make.

 _And it made him very uncomfortable._

"What-"

"We have a mission!" Coby almost yelled, jumping up and down.

Helmeppo groaned. "Look, I know you're happy when we get missions, but this is exaggerating. Besides, this couldn't be worse timed! We have to somehow get to Mariejois remember?" The blonde scratched his head and sighed.

Coby giggled, still jumping up and down. Helmeppo looked at him with a mixture of horror and shock.

"Remind me to not let you deliver reports anymore." The man stood up, dusting his pants.

That's when the pink haired marine jumped on him, placing his hands on the blonde's shoulders and jumping in a circle, forcing Helmeppo to do the same.

The Lieutenant Commander was ready to go search for a psychiatrist's help when Coby whisper-yelled, _somehow_.

"We are going to Mariejois!"

* * *

 _PRESENT TIME_

Iceburg studied the Thousand Sunny with careful crafted attention and interest. The ship's figurehead stared right back at him with its usual smiling face, though the shipwright could feel a shadow of sadness around it.

Behind him, Paulie smoked his favorite cigarette, already finished with his assessment of the vessel. Peeply Lulu watched his boss, arms crossed and blank faced. Tilestone burped. The rest of the Dock 1 staff continued their jobs in spite of the tense atmosphere surrounding the place.

Since Sunny's arrival, the initial cheers of joy died down quickly, replaced by an unusual air of rigidity. It irritated most of the upper echelons, but they could not do anything about it. It might have been partly from the unusual people that came along and were currently staying in the company's headquarters, but even if the vessel was a danger to Water 7, they'd never think of sending it away.

The mayor eventually nodded and crossed his arms. His expression did not change from the serious one it was in, giving his employees a hard time deciding whether to speak or not.

"It's in pretty bad shape." The blue haired man murmured after another five minutes.

"It's a fucking _wreck_." Paulie exhaled smoke, stating the obvious. "Look at that decimated hull, that bastard Franky almost let his ship get killed!"

"Hm, I expected more from him, but it seems the Marines weren't merciful." Lulu commented.

"I doubt it's the Marines fault, y'know?" The blonde man growled.

"What do you me-"

"It doesn't matter." Iceburg's bored tone cut in. "Now we can finally get to repairing it."

The head of the Galley-La company rolled up his sleeves.

"Paulie, tell them to bring the Adam wood here. We are pulling an all-nighter."

* * *

"Thanks for getting us here, Smoker." Law didn't want to admit it, but it was really because of the Vice- Admiral that they managed to get in such a short time back to Kuja Island.

The white haired man scoffed. "Don't let it get to your head kid." He crossed his arms, eyeing the yellow submarine docked in front of them expectantly.

"How are they?"

The doctor looked to his 'ship' as well and sighed, aggravated. "They'll be fine, physically."

Smoker raised an eyebrow.

"Who knows what stupid thoughts jump through their heads. Those idiots have to be watched."

The marine nodded in agreement. "You going back to Sabaody after you drop them there?"

It was Law's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Why."

The statement irritated Smoker, but he supposed it was only fair. "I want to talk with Rayleigh. I understand that he is the brain behind all this."

Law shook his head. "Then you'll be coming with me. He's meeting us at that island." He paused eyeing the marine ship approvingly. "The Kairōseki will be welcomed."

Smoker snorted but nodded nonetheless. He really didn't have any better plan at the moment.

* * *

Rusukaina Island was situated to the northwest of Amazon Lily, inside the Calm Belt. Despite its constantly changing climate, it was chosen as the meeting spot for the escapees from the Impel Down and their saviors.

"Aha, so that plan went good! I'm surprised to hear they managed to think about that." Rayleigh laughed after he heard Leo's recounting of events inside the prison. The dwarf had also thanked him for the backup plan the former pirate told him with the elevator. It had been a saving grace.

"I'm actually more surprised these people could work together in the end." Mr. 3 lifted up his glasses.

The grey haired man nodded in agreement.

"It'd have been easier if you bastards didn't get in my way." Crocodile scoffed, eyeing Buggy pointedly.

"Excuse _you_ , I was not in your fucking way!" The easily irritable clown yelled, before doubling over in a coughing fit.

"Stop that. I didn't patch you up to end up dying from your idiocy!" Law barked from his spot on the ground.

Rayleigh shook his head at their antics before his attention was drawn to the two persons exiting the submarine docked near the shore.

Zoro scowled when he saw the circle and he almost threw up. Those bastards were acting like they were fucking best friends now, _what the fuck_. Besides him Sanji's face was a mixture of irritation and incredulity. Something was wrong with this picturesque image.

The First Mate of the Pirate King smiled when he saw them approaching.

"It's nice to see you again."

The blonde cook nodded, a grateful smile on his face. His green haired friend was not feeling quite the same.

"What's the big idea, Rayleigh." His voice was gruff and the statement brought silence above the group.

The older man's smile turned rueful. "Disappointed to be alive and free, Zoro?"

"As a matter of fact," the swordsman began, "yeah."

All around him, everyone's faces were shocked and doubtful. Sanji's was a bit of both and then some fury.

"What the hell are you talkin-"

Rayleigh chuckled, cutting him off. "You seem to live up to your position as the First Mate. You gonna follow in your captain's footsteps?" His eyes locked with Zoro's angry ones. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you'll be living for a while longer."

Mouth pressed in a tight line, the green haired man opened his mouth to refute his words, but the older man was not done.

"We'll begin telling you what our plans are from now on. Just to be sure we're riding the same wave."

Both Strawhats were surprised at the confession and stared at him expectantly.

"After your friends join us. Sabo should be back soon as well. In the mean time, soup?"

* * *

"How did Doflamingo know about _that_?" Crocodile asked the man sitting next to him, eyeing the two eating pirates on the other side of the circle.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." The Surgeon of Death muttered.

"It might be legit." The sand man continued after a while despite the other's silence. "You planning on telling 'em?"

Law studied the two for a minute longer before he answered. "I don't see why not."

* * *

"It's so good to see you again Rayleigh-san!" Nami smiled sweetly at the older man, her hand stroking Chopper's fur. The reindeer almost purred.

Rayleigh chuckled. "The pleasure is all mine." His eyes moved to gaze at everyone gathered around the large bowl of soup now in the middle of the circle. It was obvious the Strawhats had benefitted from Law's expert medical attention. They were patched up good and a little color had already returned to their faces.

He looked at Zoro's almost livid face and his smile widened. The swordsman looked ready to blow and it was making his crewmates uncomfortable. To be honest, the former pirate had expected at least something like this from him. Despite his detached nature, he cared very much for his friends and especially for Luffy. He was the man Zoro had pledged his loyalty to and now that man was dead.

A long time ago, Rayleigh was sure the swordsman would have just scoffed and walked away, uncaring, but after everything they've been through, it was pretty obvious that he would behave that way. The grey haired man knew that from personal experience.

His jaw tightened as he recounted the facts he had to tell and his mind searched for the best way to spill them without causing a huge uproar from the former prisoners. They were still psychically weak.

"All right, since your swordsman looks like he's about to kill me, I guess I should start speaking."

Rayleigh chuckled when he saw the dirty faces the other Strawhats threw at Zoro. The man did not move a muscle, his gaze fixed on his.

"Why did you save us?" The green haired man growled.

"Because I might have reasons to believe that Luffy is alive."

The shocked silence that followed was expected. Zoro's outburst wasn't.

"DON'T SCREW WITH US!" The swordsman was on his feet, breathing hard.

"Oi, oi." Law glared at him, obviously not in the mood to treat idiots.

Rayleigh watched him for a few moments before speaking. "I am not."

The simple sentence seemed to snap the others from their stupor.

"W-what are you saying Rayleigh-san..." Usopp's voice broke at the end, his trembling hands closing into fists.

"When I saw that article in the newspaper I knew what they tried to cover up. I sent out my thoughts to the people I knew would not mind giving me a helping hand. But some others wound up along the way." He explained, looking at Crocodile, Bartolomeo and Leo pointedly.

"We've staged your rescue and brought you here to help us."

"How can you know that Luffy's alive when you weren't even there?" Franky asked, his face doubtful but his eyes held a glimmer of hope.

"Because what you probably saw was Sakazuki capturing him before the marines arrested you and took you away. It's fine to assume he was dead, but he might as well be alive. We've yet to see his body."

Mouth pressed in a tight line, Robin asked. "Where is he then, Rayleigh-san?"

"Mariejois." Law answered in his place.

Rayleigh looked at him, surprised. "That's what I assumed too. How did you get to that conclusion?"

The former Shichibukai shook his head. "Doflamingo said it."

Grey eyebrows shot up in surprise around the others' gasps.

"When I told him that Strawhat-ya is alive, he looked like he had been _waiting_ for me to say it. He told us about a key and a door we can use to enter Mariejois."

"You really believe that guy?" Usopp asked hesitantly. He's had enough of the blonde Noble to last him a lifetime.

"It might not be a fluke. There is a possibility." Rayleigh's hand was on his chin, his eyes alive with the numerous possibilities.

"Then we just enter the place and take him out of there?" Sanji asked, looking between the two.

"No, this needs to be planned carefully. If we screw this up, they might as well kill him before we get there."

A grim prospect, but a real one. The former pirate could not believe their luck. Such key might play a very huge part in their next move.

"The only problem is that I have to search for Baby 5." Law continued, not noticing Cavendish's slight jolt of surprise. "After I find her I'm going to-"

"Baby 5..." The blonde haired pirate began thoughtfully. "Is she that black haired woman that's dressed like a maid?"

The Surgeon of Death stood up in shock, his eyes narrowing. "You know her? Where is she?"

Their gazes locked and both were silent for a few moments as the people around continued to watch them with interest.

"Yeah," Cavendish began uncertainly, "she was latched onto Sai. She kept saying they're getting married or something."

Law's face was a mixture of exasperation and _I've-dealt-with-this-shit-long-enough_.

"Where are they?"

"On standby in Sabaody." Rayleigh answered in the blonde's stead. "She has the key?"

"She _knows_ where the key is." The doctor crossed his arms and sighed. "I'll go and search for it."

"And we can enter Mariejois with this key?" Nami asked, looking doubtful.

"If what Law says it's true, then we have to search for the door." Sabo spoke for the first time since the discussion began.

"Should we split into teams again?" Leo asked, already excited.

"No," Rayleigh scratched his chin. "I say we let Law find the key first. When we'll have it we can begin searching for a way inside."

Everyone nodded, understanding the logic behind his proposal. It'd be stupid to put themselves in danger if they didn't have the key.

Seeing all of them agree, the former pirate could not help but smirk. "All right then. Until Law returns, everyone is on standby. You know what to do."

With those words, he stood up and left for the ocean.

* * *

"Rayleigh." Smoker's voice stopped him from leaving. The older man hid an amused smile.

"You found me."

"I've got no intention of helping you people invade Mariejois." The marine went on to the point.

Rayleigh shifted to gaze at him. "But you want to mock the Government." His statement brought a smirk on Smoker's face.

"Yes, I'd like to give them a piece of my mind. It's been boring lately."

"I completely understand." The Dark King shook his head, his feet splashing the water as he made his way deeper. "You just help these kids however you want. If not, then we'd like some info on the Marine's moves."

No matter how Smoker rebelled the Government, he wouldn't betray the Marines and Rayleigh knew that. He just said it to look like he was giving the man a choice, a simple psychological game.

Smoker gritted his teeth but said nothing. He put his sunglasses on and crossed his arms.

That old man was making him uncomfortable.

* * *

"Trafalgar, I'm coming with you." Crocodile's announcement stopped the man in question mid-step. His dark eyes looked back to glare at the sand man.

"Hell _no._ I've had enough of you people destroying my ship."

"If I remember correctly, it was you and Buggy who did most of the damage." The smoking man smirked at him.

Twitching slightly, Law decided to let that reason go and move on to the next one. He had a complete list of ten pages.

He opened his mouth, but stopped at the last second and actually thought about it. Crocodile didn't have any reason to come with him, taking into consideration the nature of the mission. This fact really bothered him.

"Why do you want to come?"

Crocodile shrugged, looking already bored. "I sure as hell don't wanna stay on this island and mope with those bastards." He gestured with an eye roll to the sad group behind them on the beach.

The Strawhats were closed in on themselves, sitting in a tight circle and were literally standing there and brooding, moping and doing things like that in general.

 _Yeah._

"Besides, this search might very well be fruitless. Either way, anything to stop my boredom will be enough."

Had he been told this two months ago, Law would have never even dreamed of allowing him on his ship. But after everything that happened, after _Impel Down_ and getting to know this strange bastards a little better, he supposed the man's reasoning was sound, if nothing else.

"Fine."

"Trafalgar."

A vein pulsed on the man's head. "Yeah?" He turned to look at Smoker's approaching form.

"I'm getting you to Sabaody." The white haired man pointed to his vessel. There was agitation on deck, signaling that preparations for departure were under way.

Having nothing else to say to this, Law nodded. "Alright."

* * *

Helmeppo took a long look at his restless friend and shook his head, wondering when this madness will end.

No, not the madness that they were actually attempting into using a perfectly innocent backup mission that could possibly advance them further in ranks for their own personal gain, and more accurately speaking, for _pirates_ ' gain.

No, Helmeppo had long since given up on thinking about that. The problem was Coby himself. Ever since they were appointed the mission, a week prior, he had been jumping around up and down- literally and metaphorically- a feat that made the blonde more and more aggravated and somehow, the positive vibes the pink haired man was spreading in the general area around him, _where the blonde was standing_ , seemed to transform into negative ones.

In short, he was irritated, pissed and since yesterday, _restless_.

Unknowingly, he growled out loud, which made his friend stop and look at him.

"Is something bothering you, Helmeppo-san?"

 _Besides you and the flowery fields that seem to magically appear in your background, no._

"No." The man answered carefully. "Just wanting to arrive already."

The other marine nodded fervently, clearly just as anxious to get there as he was.

"Forget it." The blonde man shook his head, sighting. "I'm going back."

Coby nodded and resumed his happy humming, watching as the officers scrambled on the deck in preparation for docking.

His eyes strayed to the archipelago awaiting them on the horizon and his mouth pressed in a tight line. This was it. This was what they've been waiting for and Coby will be damned if he let Luffy slip through his fingers. He didn't believe in something like marines and pirates that can't be friends. Coby knew better, they could and his friendship with Luffy was the proof. He didn't tire himself in thinking deeper than that. He'd help the black haired pirate however he could.

A sudden grin spread on his face when he imagined Garp-san's face as he heard what they did. And the punishment training after that.

 _Totally worth it._

* * *

Helmeppo sighed again as he closed the door to his shared room with Coby. Even with superior ranks, they still made you share a room until you were Vice-Admiral or something. That, or they were the idiots of the place. Either way, he was used to it so he didn't complain.

Casting a look at the small space and the two bunk beds squeezed in there, his eyes strayed beyond them to the small space that served as a deposit. Well, it had a small table and a small wardrobe. The blonde shook his head, even with their size- and he and Coby were still normal sized! - the living spaces were getting smaller and smaller. Now he knew why all the bigger guys strived for Vice-Admiral.

A small shift made his eyes narrow. His experience in controlling Haki was guessing at best and instinct at most, but he was still training to awaken it so he could sense things normal people usually didn't.

The wooden boards under his feet cracked as he slowly made his way towards the space at the end of the beds. He had his hands hovering above the hilts of his _kukri_ and his body tensed to attack.

The last step was bolder, the wardrobe fully entering his view. Nothing.

Before he could sigh in relief and call it his imagination and Coby's optimistic vibes for triggering it, he caught a shadow move from the corner of his eye and before he could act, the glinting blade of a knife was at his neck.

Not daring to breathe nor move a muscle, his mind reeled with all the defense techniques he had learned throughout his training, trying to single out the best one. But before he could go for it, his captor spoke.

"Hello. I'd like to speak with," there was the shuffling of a paper behind him, "Captain Coby."

 _A woman?!_

* * *

Coby waved good night to the officers on duty as he made his way towards his room. The pink haired man was tired. All his excitement during the day had left him feeling somewhat empty and _really_ tired. He couldn't wait to sink in his bed.

There was a shout from the inside and the man raised an eyebrow. Helmeppo was pretty popular with his subordinates, but he didn't know he had any other good friends he spent his time with besides Coby. Not that they would have time for such a thing.

Hand on the doorknob, he entered confidently, wanting to surprise them, but what he saw made him freeze. His jaw hung open and his feet felt like they were glued to the ground.

"Aww man, I lost again! _Dammit_ , you're pretty good at this game." His friend shouted, completely oblivious to the door being opened.

The blonde woman on the other side of the playing board grinned. "Of course."

Her head whipped in the direction of the door though, when she heard him step inside or heard his jaw hit the floor, either was possible. She was on her feet in a second, a dagger in her left hand.

"Coby!" Helmeppo snapped him from his stupor. His friend looked frantic, waving his hand at the door. "Close it already, dammit!" He whispered harshly.

Left without a choice and working synapses, Coby closed the door just as quietly. The woman relaxed ever so slightly.

"Wha-what is happening here?!" His voice was higher than he would have liked.

"Is he usually such a sissy?" The blonde woman looked at his friend.

The man chuckled. "Usually. If you're lucky, he's going to pull himself together in the next couple of minutes."

"Good, 'cause I don't have much time." She whispered back, studying him carefully.

Coby had to try a few times before he finally regained his lost dignity. Clearing his throat, he addressed the now silent room.

"Uhm, hello?" The pink haired man began uncertainly, inwardly cringing. "Who... are you?"

The blonde woman's face lit up in a smile. She adjusted the crimson cap on her head and replied. "My name is Koala. I'm an officer in the Revolutionary Army."

Her statement made Coby's body tense up and he frowned. It did not deter Koala's smile in the least.

The pink haired man considered his options and concluded that he might as well hear her out since she's made the effort to infiltrate the ship. It made him a little uneasy knowing that their vessels weren't impenetrable, but it was a thing that would be useful to keep track of in the future. Nothing was perfect, and the Marines were surely at the very front of the list. Debating for a moment longer the best way to not sound impolite, he asked.

"How can, uh, we help you?"

The blonde haired woman's smile widened. "I've heard that you have a mission in Mariejois."

Ignoring the 'heard' part- Coby didn't even want to start _considering_ it- he clenched his fists tightly. Why would she want to...?

"Yes. Why?"

Koala reached inside the brown bag she was carrying and took out a folded paper which she began unfolding and showed them its insides. Luffy's face stared back at them.

"Wha-"

"This is the man I am searching for. I heard he's in Mariejois."

"I'm not even going to ask how you _heard_ that too." Helmeppo shook his head.

"How do you know that?" Coby asked in all seriousness. It took him risking his neck and listening in to a conversation between his teacher and the Fleet Admiral of the Marines to find out.

"My boss has the right connections." Koala smiled again, her eyes wide and innocent.

Coby was almost buying it, but his blonde haired friend didn't. "And who are these connections exactly?"

His question was met with silence. Obviously the woman wouldn't tell them. Coby resigned himself, but he tried anyway.

"If you tell us then you can come, _after you tell us your plan_." He underlined the condition just in case. "Besides, we are not ones to go and kill the guy. You can contact him after this and let him run away. He's going to have enough time until we get back."

Koala looked like she truly considered it, but then she burst out laughing. "All right, fine." She wiped her eyes. "I plan to find Luffy, that's all."

"We want the same thing. It's a good start." The pink haired man nodded, a small smile on his lips.

"I actually found out about it from my boss." Koala sat down and proceeded to explain her mission further. "Our Chief of Staff just up and ran away to try and do the same thing, but he's taking a detour, considering they only have rescued the Strawhats from Impel Down."

Coby nodded, clearly remembering the news that shook the world for a second time in a single year. Everyone was frantic at the Headquarters, but he couldn't say the same. He was happy to know the rest of his friends were out of danger for now. Garp had actually been caught-again-between the unpleasant feeling of the marines losing and his own feelings of relief that his grandson's friends were alright. Not to mention he had almost had a heart attack when he saw someone named Sabo in the newspaper. It took a few days to get him off the poor piece of paper.

"So he sent me on the direct road." The blonde woman clasped her hands, resting her chin on them. "And that's that."

" _So_ ," Helmeppo summarized her earlier words, "you want to go in with us, _how_?"

Her face lit up again and the blonde haired man had the nagging feeling she was a happy-vibes person like his friend. Just his luck.

"Obviously disguising as a Marine!"

The two men chocked back shocked gasps. A few moments of silence followed before Coby scratched his head in confusion. Too much shit going on.

"Fine, whatever. If you're not going to cause trouble for us, you might as well come."

Koala grinned at his positive answer. She didn't need to kill them after all. Before she retired for the night, she said one last thing.

"Your master has one hell of a big mouth. He's called Dragon-san just to weep and tell him Luffy's alive." She released a laugh at the memory and at their horrified expressions.

Coby promised himself to buy a leash for his master, no matter how ironic it might look with his dog hat and the vessel's dog figurehead. And confiscate his Den Den Mushi. It just didn't do for the Hero of the Marines to call the head of the Revolutionary army to cry his eyes out over the phone.

"All right then, goodnight." The blonde woman said quickly, throwing herself on the bed and pulling the covers over herself.

The two men continued to look at her snoring form a few minutes longer, jaws hanging, before the blonde one snapped himself out of the stupor Koala successfully put them in, again. He looked at his frozen friend for a few moments before shaking his head.

"I'm not sharing my bed with you Coby. Have fun on the floor."

Coby wept.

* * *

Mariejois was truly a wonder city. It was obvious the World Nobles lived there just by looking at its enormous golden gates.

Coby and his two subordinates, despite announcing only _one_ , were welcomed with warm smiles by the security staff working on keeping the peace in the most important city of the world. These people were normal marines, veterans or officers that had undergone special training to be part of these troupes.

Their Headquarters were at the very edge of the city, near the gates that welcomed visitors. From there, they explained to Coby, easy access was possible to any district of the city through the huge walls that enclosed it, more precisely, from the tunnels that permeated them. Of course, nothing was easy when the Celestial Dragons were involved. The only way for a soldier to enter the city was through a spray of water filled with a substance that acted as a disinfectant. Obviously, it was mostly just a show to keep them at ease, considering they walked through Sabaody with _bubbles_ on their heads.

Koala had behaved until now and no one, even the officers on their ship who knew each other- so they'd have had a reason to doubt her sudden appearance- had reacted hostile to her presence. Which was reassuring Coby that everything will be alright.

After they've been presented their tasks and informed of every other details that might have slipped, the pink haired man asked the nice man that had been their guide if they were allowed to take a look at the city.

"Nothing much, we just want to visit it and have a feel of the place we are going to protect from now on."

He hoped his smile was innocent enough.

The red haired man in front of him blinked, but accepted his explanation. He left to speak with his superiors for a few minutes, leaving the office room descend in silence.

Koala was already on to her intelligence gathering, quickly scanning the room for surveillance snails. Surprisingly, or not, there weren't any.

Before Coby could point out the obvious and ask why, she spoke. "They obviously trust every single person that enters here and would not dare doubt the Marines. Shows just how egoistic and self-inflated the Marine organization is. This is almost too easy."

A pink eyebrow shot up in surprise. Helmeppo groaned beside him, his hand slapping his forehead.

A few minutes later steps were heard again in the hallway. Quickly scrambling to her feet, the blonde haired woman took her previous position next to her two companions, who have not moved. They threw her some dubious looks, but the appearance of their guide stopped them from further commenting.

The man smiled amiably at the group when he entered. "Please follow me. They granted you access."

Inwardly sighing in relief, the trio followed him out in the hallway and down a series of tunnels that felt curved, like they were going in a circle continuously. After a half an hour walk, which felt more like days to the pink haired man, they stopped at one of the metal doors that were found at regular intervals through the stone structure.

Pressing a button on the pad next to it, their guide activated a series of machines that soaked them suddenly from above. Stifling down a selective curse of their own, the trio watched in awe as the water evaporated almost immediately, leaving them smelling like some flowers and spirit.

The door immediately opened after their sudden shower and the beam of light was really unexpected.

"Wow, it's shining." Coby whispered as they walked on one of the walkways that went above the rooftops, connecting the different districts of the city.

Their guide laughed. "Everyone says that when they see it for the first time." His eyes twinkled, obviously enjoying their reactions. "You can go wherever you wish. I will stop you if it's a restricted area. In the meantime enjoy your visit and please don't mind me, I'll be standing at the back. If you have questions please don't hesitate to ask them." His words left his mouth without hesitation, obviously a well-rehearsed speech he told often.

Coby nodded and smiled gratefully before resuming his walk alongside Helmeppo. Koala was already way in front of them.

The trio was focused on one thing only: Find Luffy!

* * *

Their search was taking longer than Coby would have thought, but then again, he hadn't known that the city of Mariejois was this big!

His hope was already waning by the time he heard Koala gasp in surprise and almost launched herself over the railing.

Their guide threw her a questioning look, but Coby covered for her quickly. "I'm sorry, this is how she's always reacting to nice views. I should say, it's quite amazing!"

The raven haired man seemed satisfied enough by his answer and resumed talking on the snail phone a little ways from their positions.

Both men leaned over the railing, trying to pinpoint where she was looking at. Coby jumped and almost yelled out his name when his eyes settled on the very person they were searching for. Helmeppo had almost the same reaction next to him.

He looked healthy. His hair was a little longer than usual, but still cropped short. All in all, he looked the same, minus the horrendous scar on his neck, no doubt from his fight with the Fleet Admiral. Coby's eyes hardened as the thought entered his mind. But the small spark of hatred he had been harboring for the lava man was not there anymore. In its place was only relief at seeing his friend alright.

The sound of a photo being discreetly taken snapped them back to attention. Koala had been the first to act and her mission was now partially successful. She smiled at the thought. She would've wanted to see Sabo's shocked face, but she'd settle for the stories.

Her eyes narrowed when she took a better look at her friend's brother. He looked fine, but she wanted to know _who_ his companions were.

A red haired woman that was obviously a Celestial Dragon by the clothes she was wearing on one side and a normal clothed kid on his other.

 _Strange combination._

But this was Luffy they were talking about so he'd have to have snatched them up on a crazy adventure or something around here. She was confused why he'd be so relaxed knowing that his friends were in mortal danger, but their guide's words interrupted her musings.

Next to her, Coby had been thinking something along those lines too. He was just as confused, but the man in front of them was speaking. They had to keep up appearances. Maybe if they played this right, they'd get another chance.

"Let's leave this for later." Helmeppo's whisper caused a smirk to appear on his face in spite of himself.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but the closing hour is a pretty strict thing for them."

Koala almost snorted, but refrained if only to not sabotage her mission. The next step, she recounted inside her head, was to search for a way to send the photo to Dragon. For that, she'd need a fax Den Den Mushi.

She nudged Coby with her elbow a little too hard. The man yelped a little, but thankfully Helmeppo was keeping their guide occupied.

"I need a fax, _now._ We have to send the photo." The blonde woman whispered.

"What do you want _me_ to do?!" Coby exclaimed silently.

"You are the freaking man in charge. _Deal with this_!" She shoved him forward for good measure.

 _This woman is strong!_

Coby rubbed his shoulder as he caught up, not on his free will, with the two walking in front of him. He smiled when the red haired man looked at him questioningly.

"I wanted to ask you a small favor. I will need a Den Den Mushi to report our arrival to Vice-Admiral Garp. I am from his division."

The man looked doubtful, but complied. Coby asked himself when he'd learned to lie so good.

Koala looked impressed and asked him to join the Revolutionary Army.

He refused.

Helmeppo snorted.

* * *

"This is perfect, good job Captain!" The blonde haired woman exclaimed, typing in the Den Den Mushi the number she was sending the photo to.

Coby scratched the back of his head, flattered.

"So what comes after this?" Helmeppo asked from his spot. He had declared the comfortable office chair in the room his propriety and was now sitting in it with his feet propped up on the table.

"We try to make contact with Luffy again. And search for more info. I'll try to contact the Strawhats too." Koala explained in an obvious voice, clearly expecting better from her companions.

"Then you'll have to hurry or you want to use this room again?" Coby asked hesitantly, though he knew the answer.

Giving him an _I-think-you-know-the-answer_ look, the blonde woman continued to fix the snail. A quiet haze descended above them, interrupted only by the small sounds coming from the monitors.

"You think Luffy knows who we are?"

Helmeppo's casual question brought a cold wave of fear upon his two companions. They snapped their heads back to look at him, startling the blonde man a little.

" _What_ ," Coby rasped through gritted teeth, "are you talking about, Helmeppo-san?" His fists clenched trying to keep the uncomfortable feeling away. His friend had just given life to the worst nightmare he had been trying so hard to squelch ever since they've seen the raven head.

"It's very possible that he doesn't." Koala's answer did not help him in the least.

"How can you know something like that?!" He almost yelled at her before facing his friend again.

Helmeppo sighed when he saw Coby's desperate eyes and the blonde man knew in that moment that the worst case scenario was playing in front of their very eyes. For Coby's sake, he explained.

"You've seen how he was behaving..."

"Normal." The pink haired marine interrupted with furrowed brows.

" _Normal_?" Helmeppo repeated, almost laughing out loud. "But with _who_?"

His question echoed inside silent the room. Coby did not have an answer for that.

Before any more words could be spoken, Koala's shout of triumph caught their attention.

"Finally! Alright, let's get down to business." She cracked her knuckles and smiled.

Coby watched her actions with detached eyes, his mind already overloaded with searching for an answer for his friend's behavior. It was true that he had questioned himself exactly the same thing after he's seen the pirate, but he didn't want to dwell on something that would never happen.

 _That shouldn't have ever happened._

Luffy forgetting his friends was, in Coby's honest opinion, something that should have destroyed the very laws of nature. It just was not plausible. But now that the fact had been slammed in his face, he had to grudgingly agree that it might be possible. After all, Luffy was not a good actor and he couldn't lie to save his life. And he surely wouldn't act like that in a situation where his friends' lives were in danger. He'd bust a hole through this city and go save them. So his relaxed and normal behavior must have been just that.

In that moment, Coby finally felt like he understood Luffy better, if only by the conclusion he came to regarding the rubber man. Him forgetting his friends could be attributed to a number of reasons and still the world did not stop moving, and nothing apocalyptic happened. After years of considering the black haired pirate to be more than just a simple man, Coby realized with a startling clarity that they were the same.

 _Luffy was only human after all._

And Coby swore he would help him in any way he could to make him remember them.

* * *

 _Purupurupuru_

Dragon raised an eyebrow as he watched his fax Den Den Mushi wake up and start printing something. And it was from an unknown number.

Absently, he remembered Koala was on a mission in Mariejois and a smirk slowly appeared on his face. Crossing his arms, he waited patiently for the papers to print before taking them with a lost feeling of anticipation.

 _Like it was Christmas._

Eyes scanning the first set, he felt the need to congratulate the blonde woman. These were perfect shots of the city of Mariejois.

Shifting through the stack of papers hurriedly, his eyes stopped to gaze at the last picture. His son's laughing face stared back at him. The kid wasn't looking in his direction, his attention was caught by something on his left side.

The man's eyes narrowed slightly as his mind caught the implications behind that smile and a plan was already forming in his head by the time he reached for the snail to forward the photo. Sabo will have a panic attack, that he was sure of. The question was:

What will his friends do?

* * *

 _MARIEJOIS (The next day)_

 _A flash of golden light hit him, but he continued on. A wave of poison threatened to engulf him, but he swam through it. A block of ice almost hit him, but he avoided it._

 _His eyes were focused in front of him, everything else becoming nothing more than darkness. He reached out his hand but couldn't touch him. Desperation building up in his chest, he screamed his name._

 _"_ _ **ACE**_ _!"_

 _Lava exploded in front of him, engulfing him in a scorching cocoon of fire._

 _"_ _ **LUFFY**_ _!"_

"Lucy, wake up already!"

The raven haired teen blinked his eyes open, but closed them again when the hellish sun rays threatened to burn his retina. He groaned, turning on his side.

The person behind him snorted and he could almost see her cross her arms, eyebrows scrunched up in irritation.

"It's _late_."

The boy almost snorted. If that was her reason then he'll go back to sleep.

"And Kiiro is here."

Shooting up from his spot, Lucy almost stumbled to the ground on his tangled covers and cursed.

"We'll be waiting for you downstairs."

The black haired teen nodded as he entered his bathroom and his humming was cut short when he saw his disheveled form in the mirror. He cringed, massaging one nasty, purple bruise and washing another cut on his cheek. He should put a plaster on it.

It did not help his mood at all when he thought what brought these marks upon him. Needless to say, he was surely looking forward to finishing the _'training'_ he was put under, whenever that was. Those bastards were starting to irritate him after almost three months of repeating the same sentence over and over again.

 _"Remember, you are a Celestial Dragon master Lucy."_

 _Yes, I_ _ **know**_ _that already. Why do they have to keep repeating it?!_

It was surely starting to become a hassle, especially when he started to have more and more headaches because of it. _And Lucy didn't like his head to hurt._

A hand went through his damp hair and he sighed. No use in thinking about it anymore. He had already talked to Ivy about it and she said she'd discuss with her father after Lucy totally refused to do that. The guy was making him uncomfortable and the young man avoided him as best as he could.

Opening the door to his room, his foot caught on a discarded newspaper from a couple of days ago. He bent down to retrieve it, silently asking himself what it was doing there.

 _ **IMPEL DOWN BREAK IN - THE STRAWHAT PIRATES ARE FREE**_

 _Ah._

The article that captured his attention on that fateful day stared back at him. He had been pretty confused at first by what Kiiro was talking about, but he had kept the paper anyway since it captured his curiosity. Ivy, and most of the population of Mariejois- but especially _Ivy_ \- had been in a frenzy that day. She had been frantic to the border of desperate, which made Lucy even more confused and curious.

After he read the article he had gotten himself a headache though, so he flung it in a random direction in his room and forgot about it.

Flipping the page, his eyes caught eight small photos of the people that, as the newspaper said, had escaped from the jail.

 _So these are those Strawhat pirates._

They didn't look too bad in Lucy's opinion. He had expected some ugly, big, fat pirates to make up the crew- his image of pirates was only so much, partly being Ivy's fault- so his eyebrows rose in surprise when he spied a small raccoon- that on second look was more of a reindeer- and a bulky blue haired guy that had a metal nose. They even had a walking skeleton.

 _Totally awesome._

His temples pulsed suddenly, and his hand immediately went to the painful area, rubbing to soothe the pain. Having lost all concentration, the black haired teen shook his head and let the papers fall on the ground as he made his way out of the door and down to the garden.

He hoped that he wasn't late, but the red head was going to yell at him anyway and he stifled down a laugh when he imagined her red face.

* * *

"Lucy!" The little blonde haired boy waved at him enthusiastically. His raven haired friend waved back with a disheartening amount of enthusiasm.

So he was having one of those headaches again. Kiiro didn't know what to make of them but it saddened him when his friend was in pain and he surely didn't like them for appearing at such random times. One minute Lucy is laughing and the next he screams that his head feels like exploding.

He saw Ivy sigh tiredly from next to him on the bench and he tried to offer her a reassuring smile. The red head returned it for a moment before her face returned to a blank.

Their meeting had been no more than strange. After his little adventure, Lucy had waltzed right back in the same Outer District he had met Kiiro, dragging an unwilling Ivy behind him. They've been on a road of what their black haired friend called 'adventures' which usually consisted of running around and finding random things or discovering new ones. One time they disguised themselves and ran away without paying after eating at one of the most luxurious restaurants in the city of Mariejois. Fortunately, they weren't caught or discovered, so the mystery thieves were still lurking around and scaring shop owners.

Their red haired companion had thoroughly disagreed with such activities and even got into a huge argument with Lucy, but the teen had just laughed it off and went to cause more havoc. The blonde haired boy didn't know how, but problems seemed to follow Lucy around like children wanting ice-cream. It was really funny sometimes.

"So what are we doing today?" Lucy asked, still rubbing his temples.

"Staying still and trying to cure your head problems." Ivy crossed her arms, looking at him in all seriousness.

Lucy grimaced. "I don't have _head problems_."

"Keep telling yourself that, _sweetie_."

Kiiro cringed at the word. In the time he had spent time with the two he had learned two things. One, Ivy could transform every nice word, like _sweetie_ , in a derogative word. There was something in the way she said it to you that made you feel like a jackass and an idiot. She also had the tendency to switch between nice and evil-mad-woman that threatened to kill him in the space of five seconds.

"I would, but then I'd really have head problems. _Shishishi_."

Two, Lucy was completely immune to them. Not to mention blunt and to the point on everything from the weather to clothing advice. Kiiro shivered when he remembered the last time they went shopping.

Ivy opened her mouth to retort, but Lucy spoke again.

"I say, let's go try that new ice-cream sho-"

"I see that you are having fun." A heavy voice made the raven head standing in front of them stiffen.

"Father." Ivy stood up and smiled at the black haired man that was walking towards them.

Kiiro bowed in respect.

"I will not take much of your time." The way the man spoke made the blonde boy understand why his friend reacted that way.

"Tomorrow, the city will be visited by the Five Stars."

Twin gasps erupted from Ivy and Kiiro.

"This is just a visit, but we must be on our best behavior." He eyed Lucy pointedly.

The teen nodded his head slowly, still not turning around.

"Father, we should begin preparing ourselves then-" Ivy began, her voice sweet and shy, already looking frantic. Her whole persona literally did another one eighty when her father was present, which made the boy question if she was the one having head problems.

"There is no need." The older man interrupted her. "I actually came here to inform you that you will be sent on a diplomatic cruise."

Ivy tensed at his words, her brows furrowing slightly when the man wasn't looking.

This captured Lucy's attention. He turned back suddenly, face ecstatic. "Cruise, like on the sea? Can I come?" He asked hurriedly before adding. "Please."

Ivy's father nodded, eyes hard. "Yes, you will be accompanying Ivy."

Kiiro felt his stomach drop when he realized he'll be the only one to stay. It'll be boring without them.

"The little boy may come too. I've already talked to his masters."

Blue eyes shined happily. The two boys jumped around in excitement making Ivy shake her head in amusement. She stopped mid-action and eyed her father. He was not looking at her. She sighed in relief, inwardly, and glared at the two just as his hard gaze slipped back to her form.

 _Safe._

* * *

"We're going on an adventure!" Lucy exclaimed, arms up, a wide grin on his face. His hand went to the empty space above his head again and he swore. He was having those episodes with the _thing_ above his head again.

 _Maybe it was a crown there and I forgot. Shishishi_

Quickly forgetting this in favor of not destroying his new adventure, he opted to tug at the buttons of the red shirt he was wearing. It was really uncomfortable and tight. Growling under his breath, he opened two of them after casting a fast look in Ivy's direction. She was talking to her father. The coast was clear.

Adjusting his black leather coat over it, he stepped around to take a better look at the massive vessel in front of them. It looked _awesome_ and Lucy couldn't wait to see what was inside and explore it. And he couldn't wait to see how it was to sail on the ocean. He cursed his amnesiac mind for not remembering. He'd bet it was a nice feeling.

He won't say it out loud in fear of Ivy hitting him, but he couldn't wait to leave Mariejois and see something else besides these same houses and ugly dressed people. Maybe the people from the outside were dressed better.

His red head friend returned, making him jump in anticipation even more.

"Lucyyyy!"

The raven head waved to his blonde friend enthusiastically.

"Yo, Kiiro!"

"So these are your friends." An older woman followed smiling at him and Ivy.

Lucy frowned when he took in her cold eyes and tight, obviously polite smile. Great, another uptight Noble. He's had enough of them.

"I am Hana, the assigned caretaker for Kiiro." The woman spoke formally.

Ivy nodded and the woman bowed before entering the ship.

Lucy scrunched his nose and glared at her retreating back. He got himself an elbow in the gut for his efforts.

* * *

The interior of the ship was just as luxurious as the exterior looked. Everything shined and it made both Lucy and Kiiro jump and run around, wanting to touch everything.

"Stop, you can't touch that Lucy."

"Kiiro no! You are going to break it."

"Lucy, I told you to _stop touching it_!"

"You can't touch that either Kiiro."

The two boys bowed their heads, a depressed atmosphere surrounding them. Ivy snorted.

"I should be the one to be depressed. I have to babysit you two for _ten_ whole days!"

"Whoo, ten days on the sea, _awesome_!" Lucy was back on his feet, his eyes searching every bit of the room they were in.

There were three beds, a small couch and a vanity. The wardrobe was gigantic compared to the rest of the things present and the raven haired teen had to ask himself how many clothes that she would never wear had Ivy brought with her.

"We are not going to be only on the sea." The red head spoke interrupting his musings.

"What do ya mean?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Where are we going?" Kiiro's face was just as expectant.

Ivy examined her nails as she continued speaking. "We are going to be going to East Blue and back."

"What's East Blue?" Both boys asked at the same time. Ivy could swear they should have been twins.

"It's a sea, one of the four Blues. It's the weakest one out of them."

"And what are we doing there?" The blonde boy was jumping up and down, trying to occupy his time.

"Visiting Goa Kingdom. It's just a simple diplomatic affair. I will be part of the convoy. You just do whatever." The red head turned on her heels just as a person outside yelled that the vessel will be departing now. "Are you coming?"

Lucy and Kiiro whooped and ran after her.

* * *

"This is _so_ awesome!" An obnoxious voice covered the whole deck, making every person standing there gape at the young man standing on the mermaid figurehead, hands in the air and grinning as the wind wiped his face.

"Lucy, get down from there!" Ivy looked like she might have a heart attack. There weren't even _five_ freaking minutes since they left!

"Lucy, I wanna come up there too!" Kiiro was the next to shout, his eyes wide with excitement.

"NO!" The red head yelled at him, pointing an accusing finger. "You better stay put kid, or I call Hana to put a leash on you!" Ivy growled, making the younger boy shrink back.

" _Aww_ come on, Ivy. It's fun!" Lucy pouted, sitting on the brown head of the wood figure. He crossed his legs, resting his hand on his legs. "I'm gonna stay here from now one. If you wanna come talk, you better come up here." The black haired teen laughed at her horrified face.

Ivy pursed her lips before an idea hit her. "You mean you won't be coming down for the delicious dinner the chefs are making?" She asked tauntingly.

By now, everyone on deck had resumed their own business, not paying attention to the loud trio.

Lucy almost allowed his drool to soak his shirt-again-but wiped it just in time. He did not want a repeat of the beating Ivy gave him when he did that the first time. That red head could fight.

He suddenly grinned, making her raise a confused eyebrow. "Nope, 'cause I have help!"

As if on cue, Kiiro exited the salon in a hurry, carrying as many plates as he could with his small arms. A chicken leg was in his mouth for his own consumption.

Ivy did not have time to react, and before she knew it the two boys were enjoying their dinner on the wooden head of the mermaid. The red haired noble shook her head and bit back her own laugh. She couldn't believe it! Three months of living with Lucy and she still hadn't learned to expect the unexpected.

Silently studying the stairs leading to the top of the figurehead, she took a seat on one halfway up, praying she wouldn't fall.

There was silence for a while as both her companions ate and she took the opportunity to gaze at the dark blue color of the Grand Line waters and the sun shrinking on the horizon.

"Say, Ivy." Lucy's voice made her look above and see his head peek from the edge. He was still chewing a rather large bite of food. "How much time 'till we get there?"

The red head paused to think before answering. "We are going at top speed and in a straight line so I'd say at most five days."

Lucy hummed as he thought this over before firing another question. "And how long are we staying there?"

A red eyebrow lifted in surprise. It was unlike him to ask such things but she indulged him anyway. "Two days at most."

The trio lapsed in silence once more signaling the questionnaire was over.

Lucy's black eyes looked at the waves lapping at the bow of the vessel, then at the calm waters far away and lastly at the sinking sun, and realized his head hurt again. _Bad_. But he chose to ignore the pain for now. He wanted to stay here more and enjoy everything around him. He didn't remember if he liked to travel on the sea in the past, but the raven head was surely doubting he wouldn't. He absolutely loved this feeling, watching the world from this point of view made him feels so small yet so big and he never wanted it to stop. He closed his eyes, trying to capture the feeling as best as he could.

 _"Luffy get down, you are going to fall from there!"_

His eyes blinked open again when the sun had disappeared, leaving the stars and the moon as the only source of light, making the water sparkle. He looked to his right and saw Kiiro already fell asleep sitting there and he almost laughed.

Lifting him up in his arms, he jumped from the significant height, making a loud _thump_ on the deck. He looked at the stairs and saw them empty.

 _Seems like Ivy already left._

"Ah well, time for a midnight snack."

* * *

 _SABAODY_

Law adjusted the cap on his head, eyes searching through the crowd of pirates that were supposedly allied with the Strawhats.

 _Too many people._

Grabbing a random limb, he tugged the guy to attention and demanded he be taken to Sai.

The scarred pirate hesitated for a moment as he tried to match his face with a name. Eyes widening, he nodded and hurriedly led him to one of the ships anchored near the shore.

What awaited the former Shichibukai on said vessel was anarchy. Well, it looked like one anyway. And in the middle of it was his target with the guy she was supposedly marrying.

Giving up in trying to solve such impossible mysteries, he stepped closer, eyes never straying from her in fear she could disappear. And he didn't have time for that.

"I keep telling you to stop that, dammit! Go help someone who needs it!" Sai growled, pointing around the ship at the numerous places she could give a hand to.

"That won't be necessary." Law felt the need to point out. "I'll need her help."

The two looked back at him in surprise.

"Law." Baby 5's eyes were narrowed, but her hostile attitude did not last long. "You need me?"

The black haired woman almost jumped on him. Law _almost_ took a step back.

"How was Impel Down?" Sai asked as he made his way closer.

The former Shichibukai nodded in greeting. "It went better than all of us expected. They are on that island if you want to go see them."

The man nodded and crossed his arms.

The doctor's attention was back on the former Donquixote member.

"I spoke with Doflamingo." His words had the intended element of surprise.

Baby 5's jaw was hanging. "Do-Doffy? How is he? Is he-"

"Yeah, yeah, he's the same bastard as ever." Law waved her questions away.

"He said something about a key to enter Mariejois. You know where it is."

The trio lapsed into silence. Sai had an incredulous face on, while Baby 5's was blank, for the first time ever since Law had met her.

"Yes, I know where he hid it." The raven head confessed quietly.

This was all Law needed to know. "Good, you're coming with me."

"Eh? Wha-" She took a step back, but the doctor caught her arm in a tight grip.

"I don't have time for shit, Baby 5." Law growled, eyes narrowed. "We are on a tight schedule. If you're one of the people that came here to help then you better pull yourself together and lead us to that damn key."

The staring contest between the two did not last long. Sai stepped forward.

"All right, let's go."

Law threw him a questioning look. The man shrugged.

"Baby 5 is part of my crew." He explained before facing the weapon woman. "So where are we going?"

"Trafalgar, the fucking marines are coming and if they start shooting at you then I sure as hell will too." Smoker said from his spot on the railing. His appearance made most of the people on deck yelp in surprise.

Law's eye twitched but said nothing, his gaze pointed on Baby 5.

She bit her lip, eyes staring at the ground. "North Blue."

Her whisper sent a shiver through the doctor, but Sai was already shouting orders.

"We'll be taking you through the Calm Belt." The Vice Admiral transformed into smoke and jumped from the railing.

Snapping away from his stupor, Law nodded and made his way to his own ship. Whatever was Doflamingo's reason for hiding it there, it was a legit spot. He'll have to put personal matters aside if he wanted to find what he was searching for.

* * *

 **A/N: Surprise! (?)**

 **:D**

 **I decided to post the third chap a little earlier since I had some free time this morning and managed to beta it o3o**

 **Huge cheers for Coby and his team! whoo... I don't know how, but their parts got longer than I had them planned in the beginning (by the end of the story I realized I really enjoyed writing those three as a team xD)**

 **I also arrived to the conclusion that** **Shanks should be taken only in small doses, 'cause the awesomeness is too much (fangirl speaking here, I'm sorry... or not :'D)**

 **The plot is moving and so are Lucy and the others! XD**

 **Dragon is feeling the Christmas spirit already _awww_**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter~**

 **Reviews and Feedback are loved! ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

FRIENDS

* * *

 _5 days later_

The Goa Kingdom was rather small, only housing a palace that towered over the inner circles of the city. The people that had greeted them had seemed pretty nice, in Lucy's opinion, and they've even invited them to a feast, which gave them bonus points in the black haired teen's book.

Ever since they had arrived yesterday, he had not been able to take more than a few steps away from the palace and Lucy did not like it. They've arrived in an unknown place, he _had_ to go explore dammit!

After a few discouraging tries, Ivy finally relented and gave him permission, with the promise that they wouldn't cause trouble. Lucy had been happy to comply with her wishes, hoping more than anything to get out of the huge, constricting place, as ironic as it sounded.

Walking down the road at the Edge of the Town-yes, he wanted to escape _that_ bad- the teen could not help but smile, in spite of the dirty looks the citizens were throwing him. He had a white cloak on and an oversized hood that Ivy insisted that he kept it on because nobody should see his face.

"Lucy, where are we?" A small, trembling voice asked from next to him.

Lucy looked down at the scared boy and laughed. "What, you scared now, Kiiro?" His tone was playful and the boy shoved him a little, pouting.

"You don't even know where we are, don't you?"

His question made his older friend pause but he grinned widely and answered. "Nope, but we'll find our way back somehow, so don't worry."

Yes, in his hurry to escape he had forgotten where he was going and how he should come back.

 _Uh-huh._

Kiiro looked doubtful, but relented anyway. No use in arguing with the raven head.

After a few more minutes of walking, the line of houses gave way to a tall concrete wall that served as the end of the city.

Lucy stepped closer to investigate, scratching his chin as he looked at the closed metal door. There was something that looked like burn marks on the dirty grey.

Kiiro watched the trash near the wall and sighed. He knew that common people tended to throw their rubbish wherever they wanted, but the small boy didn't know how someone could live in such a filthy place.

"Can I help you kids?" A raspy voice attracted their attention. Both boys looked at the old man that had addressed them.

He was dressed in dirty, tattered clothes. His hair was unkempt and his can looked like it had seen a few things through its life.

"You look like you live here mister."

Lucy's blunt statement made Kiiro cringe.

 _Of all the things he could have said..._

To his relief, the old man gave a hearty laugh. "That sure am. What are boys like you doing here?"

Lucy grinned and the blonde boy instantly knew his friend liked this guy.

"I wanna know what's with this wall. And what's on the other side."

His declaration made the older man narrow his eyes. He stepped closer, making Kiiro tense, but he only sat down on the ground, his back to the metal door. Lucy dropped himself next to him unceremoniously, and the blonde boy followed, but with more grace.

Lucy tapped his knees impatiently, waiting for their new companion to speak.

"On the other side of this wall was the landfill of this country. Many poor people lived there." The man explained.

 _"This place is awesome!"_

"But it burned up in a huge fire more than ten years ago. There were many victims, children, adults, old people. No one was spared. I was lucky to have escaped."

 _"I will not run!"_

"This wall was used to cut us from the rest of the world because no one in the city wanted to enter in contact with the bottom of the society."

 _"What... did you think I was dead?"_

 _"What're you crying for?! Don't act like people are dead when they're not, dummy!"_

 _"Idiot of course I wouldn't die!"_

Kiiro watched his friend's face lose all emotion and a little color as the man told them about the history of the unseen place behind them. His brows furrowed when he saw Lucy sway a bit.

"What's the name of that place?" The blonde boy could not help but ask.

Dark green eyes gazed deeply in his blue ones.

"Grey Terminal."

 _"How long are you going to carry on like that...?"_

 _"Listen up and remember this! I'm not going to die!"_

 _"_ _ **LUFFY**_ _!"_

Kiiro scrambled to his feet in alarm as Lucy released a strangled scream, hands on his head.

On his other side, the older man looked lost as well, not sure how to help the young man screaming in front of him.

Before long, the screams died away and Lucy was reduced to an unconscious mess on the ground.

Kiiro remained frozen, silently whishing for Ivy to be there.

* * *

"And you go and faint in the middle of the street! Full of thieves and the like! What was in my mind for letting you two go?!" Ivy would have gone on with her yelling if Lucy wouldn't have groaned, hand on his forehead, trying in vain to push back the pain. His brain _pulsed_. Was it even possible?

"You are lucky I sent those two guards to follow you." The red head huffed. "Who knows what mess we'll be in otherwise."

Kiiro was sitting on a chair by his bed, eyes downcast, sad and grateful all the same.

"Sorry, Ivy." The boy mumbled.

"You shouldn't listen to her, she's always saying that but she still comes with us when we raid the shops." The black haired teen said from his spot on the bed.

The red head's face was scandalized and her hand twitched with the need to pound some respect in that little pulsing head of his.

Kiiro was immediately on his feet, his wide, blue eyes worried. "Are you okay Lucy? You scared the crap out of me!"

"Haha, sorry." The teen winced.

"What happened Lucy?" Ivy's question was as serious as her face.

The raven head looked at her before his gaze slid to the window. Black eyes stared in the distance, glazed over in thought.

"I don't know." He whispered at last.

"You never remember what you dream right? Did something change?"

A seed of fear seeped inside Ivy's mind and she abstained from launching anymore questions. For almost two months, Lucy had continued to have those dreams and the continuous headaches started barely a month ago but were now stronger than ever. While she was not opposed to them, their presence only sped up the pace.

 _He_ was starting to become impatient which made her become more and more uneasy. Lucy's answer was like a loud and obnoxious alarm sounding in her head.

"I think I'm starting to dream when I'm not sleeping."

* * *

 _One day later_ \- _GRAND LINE_

Rusukaia island was currently undergoing a climate change from its last winter season, that had made Buggy's teeth chatter, to a spring season with a more gentle weather and pretty flowers, which made the clown sigh partly in relief. He preferred allergies to ice hell. He's had enough of it in Impel Down.

Speaking of the blasted prison, its former blasted prisoners-that they've risked their butts to save-had been no more active than rocks for the past week.

With the exception of the green haired bastard, they could at least eat on their own volition. That goddamned sword bastard had refused everything they offered, so Buggy and Sabo had to literally shove it down his throat, while Mr. 3 threatened to throw his three swords in the ocean.

Besides these isolated incidents, they did not try anything else and the clown was glad for it. He had been totally opposed to babysitting these idiots, but he couldn't refuse old man Rayleigh- more accurately, he was _scared_ to refuse him.

So this is how Buggy found himself sitting on a rock, watching other colorful rocks doing nothing while thinking that maybe, looking at real rock would have been more interesting.

A sudden shift in the plant life behind him signaled Sabo's arrival. He was the only one who bothered to visit them when off duty.

"How are they?"

Buggy would have told him in some choice words what his opinion on the health of the eight pirates in front of them was.

"They are sitting like fucking _rocks_." The clown drawled. "But at least they're not trying to kill themselves." He sighed.

 _With the exception of that time green hair said he'd go find Strawhat's body to show them they're wrong and then tried to jump in the ocean and swim in the opposite direction._

"You mean besides that time when the blonde cook said he'd go catch some fish and ended up on a one on one with a giant Sea King? And he could barely walk." Sabo scratched his head, taking a seat next to him.

Buggy's eyes went wide. "When did _that_ happen?!"

"When I was on duty." The blonde replied. "Wait 'till you hear what happened on Mr. 3's with the reindeer and the animals of the forest."

The red nosed man shook his head, clearly not intending to know what in the hell could have happened. And there were _five_ more people besides them that were looking after these kids. Okay, so Buggy will admit that they had tried, but were stopped.

 _Thank heavens or else Rayleigh would kill us all._

"Anyone hungry?" The revolutionary spoke loudly, attracting their attention.

Nami lifted her head up and tried to smile at them. Both men winced.

"No thank you, we are fine."

"Fine looks like the opposite of them right now." Buggy crossed his arms, watching the annoying woman return to her moping. He hated them, because they kicked his ass all those years ago when they didn't even have a _ship_ and now-

"The hell are you staying fucking moping around for?!" The clown finally exploded, making some of them glare up at him. They were promptly ignored.

"And what the hell do you want us to do?" Zoro bit back, his glare so dark it could melt metal.

"You are fucking free, what do you think?! You are staying here waiting for the Marines to find you. You should have sailed away a long time ago!" Breathing hard after his outburst, his eyes never strayed from the compact circle, glaring at them with all the fury of a pirate clown.

Next to him, Sabo was torn between being impressed at his words and concerned for the blue haired man.

"We don't even have a ship, bro." The Strawhats' shipwright pointed out. "Even if we'd want to leave, we couldn't."

"And go where?" Usopp snorted looking at his friends' faces. None of them looked too eager to set sail.

The clearing lapsed into silence once more, neither party attempting at further conversation now that the facts were thrown to the wind.

Buggy returned to count the minutes until he would be released from this new type of hell.

By the time his counting was at 35 minutes, a splash of water gathered their attention towards the cliffs.

Rayleigh wrung his soaked shirt, slapping it on his shoulder before his eyes moved to take in the camping place and its grim atmosphere. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, but he had been thoroughly expecting this. Still, the former pirate hoped that these kids would defy his expectations yet again.

Not this time, it seems.

"Why are you here old man?" Buggy asked from his spot on the rock.

Years of knowing him made the former First Mate realize the clown was bored, pouting and on the edge of his patience. He remembered the twelve year old Buggy from the Oro Jackson having the exact same face and he could not help but smile. It seems some things don't change even after so many years.

"I've come to visit you. Though I see that you haven't been very productive." Rayleigh addressed the younger pirates. Buggy's snort behind him confirmed his words.

"We are sorry Rayleigh-san, it's just..." Nami stopped speaking, her eyes downcast.

"Not even an encouraging song, Brook?" The grey haired man watched the skeleton wince.

 _Hit a sore spot huh._

"It's not really working, Rayleigh-san." The usually cheerful man confessed sadly.

"Well then you are lucky I've come with great news." Rayleigh smiled once more, hands on his hips.

Everyone's eyes were on him, searching, questioning.

"Yes!" Buggy exclaimed, jumping from the rock. "Please tell me I can leave this island."

"Yes, something like that." The older man agreed. "We'll talk in more detail when they get here."

Buggy's mood skyrocketed back from space and he slumped. Seems like Rayleigh was not done with him yet.

"They who?" Sabo asked, adjusting the hat on his head.

Rayleigh's eyes shined with mischief. "You'll see."

* * *

 _NORTH BLUE_

Dark eyes watched the blue sea spread in front of them with a resigned quiet. Their owner stood on his submarine's deck, hands gripping the metal railing tightly.

Law resisted the urge to grit his teeth. He had set out for the Grand Line with the intention of never returning to this sea-alive or not. He had long forgotten this lands, but he will never forget that promise.

And now he had broken it to help his, as the man himself put in, friend. Law didn't know when the straw hat wearer became a friend for him, but he had saved his life numerous times. Friend or not, he'd do it anyway. He owed him that much.

Eyeing the sand man behind him, the doctor supposed he wasn't the only one doing things because of the past. Crocodile had not behaved any more suspicious than he had the first time, though this time he was more reserved without the obnoxious clown to irritate him. Law supposed they all were.

"How long 'till Spider Miles?" Smoker's voice sounded from the vessel floating next to his- Dressrosa's.

The man had forsaken his military vessel after they passed the Calm Belt with the instruction to his crew to be on standby around that area for their return. Smoker might behave like a reckless fool, but his head wasn't as empty as Law had thought at first. His second in command was left along with the ship, her mission the toughest: keep the G-5 under control.

A surprising appearance was made by the royal family of Dressrosa. Their princess and her father had brought a ship full of soldiers and mercenaries- courtesy of Kyros- that were armed to the teeth and ready to find that goddamned key.

The former Shichibukai had heard that the envelopes with Rayleigh's plan were sent pretty far away through the Grand Line, but he didn't imagine _this_.

His stupor did not last long because they have passed the Calm Belt fairly quickly. Back in Sabaody, he, Sai and Smoker decided to cut in a straight line through it after passing Fishman Island with Jinbei's help. They did not want to meet any Yonko so they didn't risk traversing their territories. That was five days ago, and now they were going at a fast speed- as much as the polar winds, that had the tendency to blow in the exact _opposite_ direction of their path, let them- towards the place where he had met Doflamingo a long time ago.

"From Bepo's calculations, he says about four or five more days." The island was pretty far away now that Law thought about it.

The white haired man scowled, clearly of the same opinion but he didn't say anything.

"It's getting pretty cold." Sai shivered, tightening his coat around himself. Baby 5 was on him in a second, further serving to exasperate the man.

"Do you need me to bring you something warmer?"

"No! And why the hell don't you have any coat on you!?" The black haired man yelled.

"Because I gave it to a poor man who had no coat to wear." Her face was flushed and her cigarette almost frozen. Law shook his head in disbelief.

 _Mad woman._

"By the way," he began as if remembering something. Looking to his right, he asked. "Why are you here, Rebecca and Kyros?"

The rose haired woman smiled, leaning over the rail. She was wearing a long, pink fur coat and long boots. Her hair was in the same style he remembered her wearing back in her home country.

"Because Rayleigh-san called us all those months ago. And now, when he called again after you had set for Sabaody, I decided to come give you a hand."

Law would have liked to point out that they didn't need any help in finding a stupid key on a probably abandoned island, but he abstained. They will be useful if they needed to invade Mariejois, so he let it slide.

Nodding to show he accepted her explanation, the man turned his head back to gaze at the calm sea before them. He had almost forgotten how simple it was to sail on it. Despite the easy feeling it gave, Law knew from firsthand experience that deeper and bloodier secrets were buried in these lands.

He could only hope these days will pass by quickly.

* * *

 _RUSUKAINA-GRAND LINE_

The people gathered in the glade did not have to wait long. After ten more minutes of silence, Leo announced that four ships were coming.

 _Four._

The number served to rise up even the most depressed people from the ground out of sheer curiosity, all the island's current inhabitants gathering by the cliffs where Leo pointed they were coming to.

After maximum five minutes, Usopp gasped, his eyes widening as he gazed into the distance. No one else could make out anything else but shadows, the light fog that had settled around the piece of land not helping a bit. Still, the Strawhats' sniper was so shocked, he did not move for a couple of seconds.

When he did move, the black haired man was a mess of emotions ranging from laughing, crying and cheering, all the while doing a little happy dance.

The others were all eyeing him with various degrees of expressions, with the exception of Leo, who had seen through the spyglass what Usopp had seen with the naked eye. He had joined his fellow pirate in his dance immediately when he arrived on the grass where everyone had gathered.

Nami was about to stop him and demand answers when a flash of yellow caught her eye and she forgot how to breathe for a moment. Next to her, Robin gasped, eyes wide and a smile threatening to blossom on her lips.

Chopper cheered in happiness, joining his still dancing friend and crying in happiness.

Franky's grin was bigger than even Luffy's and the cyborg clenched his fists, anticipation cursing through him. After months of thinking she was gone forever, he would finally get to see her again. His mood was instantly _super._

Sanji watched the perverted idiot and shook his head, taking a drag out of his cigarette. His original shock wore off, but his lips were pulled in a wide smile that he covered with his precious smoke.

A couple of feet away from the cook, Brook was playing his violin with such vigor, the instrument looked like it might break. So much time had passed since he had played it and the skeleton finally felt complete. His heart would have beaten wildly in his chest- if he'd have one!

"Yohoho! Let's welcome Sunny with a suitable song!"

Cheers of agreement were heard from the Strawhats and the crew gathered around their musician to celebrate.

Zoro shook his head and crossed his arms, eyes looking in the distance where Sunny's head had just pierced the thin veil of white. So it was really Sunny.

The swordsman smiled, though there was a painful jolt in his chest that told him he'd have a hard time walking around the ship again. It had too many memories of him. He was sure the others were feeling the same way, they had talked about it in the few days after their arrival on the island. They had argued that they _had_ to go save Sunny, but with the injuries they had sustained in the prison, it would have been a though thing to do. Franky had been almost desperate, telling them that she might be destroyed as a measure in stopping them, but he understood the reason his crewmates were hesitant. None of them felt powerful enough to invade a Marine base, especially after their utter defeat at the hands of the same organization.

"It looks like you thought of everything Rayleigh-san." Robin smiled at the grey haired man.

If the former pirate was surprised to see her express emotion so openly, he did not comment on it. There was a reason for celebration after all.

"Of course." He smiled back, eyes never straying from the ship in the distance.

Suddenly, two forms appeared on both of the Sunny's sides, followed closely by another one at the far right.

Most of the people gathered stopped and raised an eyebrow, taken aback. Even Rayleigh looked positively surprised.

The three ships broke the wall of clouds as well, sailing at full speed behind the Thousand Sunny, their Jolly Rogers flying with the wind.

"Wha-what the hell is he doing here?!" Buggy exclaimed, hands in his hair and definitely not happy.

"Am I seeing this for real?" Bartolomeo rubbed at his eyes, clearly not believing the pirate flag he was seeing on the ship on the left.

The four ships noticeably decreased their speed as they closed in on the island, making the waiting unbearable for mostly everyone in the group.

Besides Buggy. He only wanted to evaporate in place.

Usopp's eyes were wide as saucers when his brain finally made the connection, heart beating wildly. He knew who was on that ship.

Finally, the dragon figurehead and the whale shaped ships stopped one after the other along with the Sunny and the unknown ship, forming a barrage of vessels.

"Well, well, it's certainly good to finally meet you, Strawhats." A voice spoke from the dragon headed ship. A red haired man wearing a black cloak grinned at them and they stared back in shock.

"What are you doing here you idiot?" Buggy was on Shanks before he had a chance to put a foot on the ground.

"It's nice to see you too Buggy." The man laughed, gesturing his crew to finish with anchoring the ship.

"That's not what I'm talking about!" The clown's hands twitched, wanting nothing more than to strangle him. He's always had a few bones to pick with the Yonko and now that he was available, Buggy asked himself why not. Besides, it was partly his fault for being stuck in there with Rayleigh. And now Shanks came to take a good laugh at him, the damn bastard.

"That's the new Shichibukai?" A blonde haired man from the whale headed ship asked, his hand above his eyes for a better view.

"Is that the commander of the first division of the Whitebeard pirates?!" Bartolomeo almost shrieked, his whole persona entering fanboy mode.

"You look as good as ever, Nami, everyone!"

Heads turned to the unknown ship and the navigator almost had a heart attack.

"Vivi?! What are you doing here?"

The alabastian princess grinned, adjusting the feathered hat on her head. "I came here to give you a hand, of course."

Before any of them could reply, a yell was heard from Sunny's deck, followed by a black form being launched in the sky. It fell a few feet from them.

"Heracles'un?!" Usopp jumped back and pointed at the black clad man accusingly. "What are you-"

"You damn pervert, never stay near me again!" Perona slapped her hand _hard_ against the rail, glaring at him with the intensity of a thousand suns.

Zoro opened his mouth, his jaw almost slack, but the pink haired girl beat him to it.

"Stop asking stupid questions! What does it look like?! We are saving your sorry asses."

The silence that followed her blunt statement was broken by Rayleigh's laugh.

"I'm happy to see everyone here. Though I didn't think you'd be staying in the Grand Line after you've finished your mission." He looked at Shanks who grinned back, scratching the back of his head.

The Yonko felt like he was on the Oro Jackson again.

"We didn't, but Shanks insisted." Marco pointed a thumb in the red head's direction.

"Well, I _have_ to see this through, if only for Luffy's sake."

Buggy rolled his eyes at the dramatic show and Rayleigh laughed again. Marco shook his head in amusement.

"We don't have time for this right now." Vivi reached inside her coat as she made her way closer.

Nami hugged her tightly, happy to see her friend again. After greetings were exchanged with the other Strawhats, Sabo spoke.

"How come you arrived together?" His gaze slid from Red Hair to Marco and then to a floating Perona before finally setting on the alabastian princess in confusion.

Vivi almost burst out laughing at their faces. They had unknowingly made the same expression. Shanks was right, this was really funny.

"It's a long story." She began.

"Yeah, even we don't know how it happened." Shanks agreed, patting Marco on the back. The man rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you tell us everything from the beginning then?" Rayleigh's eyes shined with a light the Yonko hadn't seen for a long time.

Shanks smiled. "Sure old man. Gather up kids!"

* * *

"We were on our way to Rusukaina after we made sure to piss off Sakazuki as much as we could and obtained a good laugh out of it too." Shanks chuckled at the memory.

"At the same time we were coming to Rusukaina from Water 7." Perona continued with their part of the story.

"You were in Water 7?" Franky blinked.

"Of course, where the hell do you think we repaired the damn ship?" The pink haired Devil Fruit user snapped.

"They were covered in this fog which was really creepy. Marco thought that it was a ghost ship!"

"You were that one Shanks." The blonde next to him drawled.

"That was because we had to be careful. Old man Haredas took care of it." Perona explained.

"Eh? Haredas is here?" Nami looked back to the ship but the ghost girl shook her head.

"The old guy had to go back to the sky before we got here."

Light brown eyes fell down in sadness. The other pirates that didn't know him were partially alarmed by the _gone back to the sky_ part.

"We kind of had a one on one with the _ghost_ ship." Shanks' chuckle turned awkward.

"I still want to kick your ass for that, bastard." The pink haired woman glared at him. "You've almost sunk a newly repaired ship!"

"If wasn't _my_ fault that-"

"And then the alabastians almost crushed us." Marco explained further.

Vivi's face was red and she waved her hands wildly. "Sorry! It was that big wave that lifted us in the air."

"So that's how we came together." The captain of the Whitebeard pirates concluded. "After we realized we are all on the same side, of course." The man eyed a still glaring Perona, the embarrassed Yonko and the still fretting Vivi.

Rayleigh shook his head in amusement. Kids these days.

"Cap', we have it." Ben Beckman announced as he came closer.

The three stood up immediately and surrounded the man, faces serious. Perona flew over their heads to listen in too. Rayleigh's jaw tightened. He had a feeling he knew what was coming. He looked at the Strawhats but the group remained clueless.

"So it was working." Vivi sighed in relief. "Sorry for bothering you." She smiled at the grey haired man.

Ben nodded. "Don't worry about it. Here you go." He handed a paper to his captain who took it hesitantly, grimacing.

"Do I wanna see it Benny?" Shanks' eyes held a gram of fear, usually lost on the man. It went to show how much the straw hat wearing boy meant to him and his crew.

Ben's face remained impassive, however. "You ain't gonna move if you don't take a risk cap'." The First Mate spoke enigmatically. "I've already taken the liberty to show it to the crews. Must say," the pirate played with his cigarette, a smile on his face. "I got myself a few bucks."

Shanks did not need to hear anything else. He unfolded the paper and his eyes went wide.

"Holy shit."

The other three were in the same state of shock, so Rayleigh stepped closer and took the paper from his junior's hands. He turned and headed back to the bigger group who were looking at the newly arrived in concern.

"What happened Rayleigh-san?" Robin's brows were furrowed.

"This," the grey haired man lifted his hand up, showing them the paper, "is the proof you were waiting for."

With that, he stopped in front of them and lifted the photo.

Everyone's eyes went wide as they stared at Luffy's laughing face and they almost felt like any moment he'd turn his head around and grin at them that obnoxiously big grin of his.

But he didn't, and that's when reality hit them like a ton of Sea Kings.

* * *

His hair was longer. That's the first thing his friends realized as they gazed upon the piece of paper. Then they saw the scar around his neck and the Strawhats' faces became livid. The ugly, pink scar was jagged, almost taking the form of a hand- that _bastard's_ hand. It looked like it must have hurt like a bitch and they swore to not let AkaInu get away with it. He'd pay.

 _Soon._

Fighting hard to unglue their eyes from the heart wrenching wound, they decided to move on to his strange clothes. He was wearing a simple, bright red shirt with a black vest above it, black, _long_ jeans that made them take a step back in surprise. Luffy _never_ wore such long pants. If the jeans were the problem, their eyes widened marginally when they saw the boots on his feet. Never in their life did the Strawhats think they'd get to see Luffy wearing anything but his slippers. It felt like a law of nature to them. Even if it was snowing he would wear those slippers. So one can imagine why the Strawhats were having a hard time believing that was really their captain.

Nami's eyes shifted to glance at his surroundings for a moment. The photo was obviously taken when he was moving. Luffy was frozen in mid step, laughing, his left hand lifted up to tug at the red hair of the woman that was walking beside him. She was scowling, head half turned, obviously about to lash out at the raven head. On his other side, there was a blonde haired kid that looked no older than thirteen, his hands as full of shopping bags as Luffy's right hand.

The woman's robes gave her away as a Celestial Dragon, but the kid's clothes were normal, so they had to ask themselves if the young boy was a slave, or something else.

"That's not Luffy." Zoro was the first to speak, growling, a feral look in his eyes.

Usopp looked at him in concern, but agreed with him on this one. "Yeah, I mean why would he even want to _stay_ there?"

His question was met with more silence.

"What if they did something to him?" Robin's eyes were clouded with the numerous possibilities. "What if they threatened to kill us if he doesn't play by their rules?"

The string of questions would have continued if Chopper wouldn't have exploded in a horrified scream.

"What if they cloned him?!"

The possibility was a little too supernatural for normal people, but for his frantic crewmates was enough.

"You mean they killed him and made a clone of him to trick us?!" Franky exclaimed, his eyes searching the person in the photo in a frenzy.

"No, what if they tortured him for information?" Sanji threw his own thoughts in the mash of craziness.

"Luffy-san..." Brook whispered, his face sad, as sad as it could get without a face.

"Y'all need to calm the hell down." Buggy scowled, arms crossed. He was watching them with a sort of disbelief reserved only for morons. Obviously he had expected the rubbery bastard to be alive. After this, Buggy was sure that the kid was not able to die, even if he wanted to.

"I'm so glad he's fine!" Sabo wiped his eyes, looking at the photo with a happiness only an older brother could feel.

"Why the hell are you so happy, that's not Luffy!" The First Mate snapped at him before his glare settled on Rayleigh, who was still holding the photo for them to see. "What the hell is the meaning of this?"

The older man, who had been watching them silently until now, spoke. "I suggest you don't let yourself get carried away."

His sharp eyes studied the younger pirates in front of him with something akin to sympathy. But that did not stop him from giving them a good lashing for their stupid thoughts.

"This is Luffy no matter how you look at it."

"And where the hell do you have that proof from to back it up?" Sanji furrowed his brows though he looked like he was considering it. At least not every one of them was unwilling to listen to reason.

" _This is the photo I managed to take of Luffy-san on our first day here._ " Vivi recited from the paper she took out of her coat. " _His behavior made us question a lot of things, but in the end we arrived at the same conclusion, one that we believe might be the most plausible one._ "Her voice trembled a little as she read. " _We believe Luffy-san might have lost his memory. That would be the only explanation for his openness with the people that are keeping him locked up in that city."_

Several sharp intakes of breaths came from all around, as people finally made sense of the madness.

" _We are not sure about anything else for now, but we will try to see him again. I will continue to send reports to Dragon-san and keep vigilant on his every move._ Signed Koala, Captain Coby and Captain-Lieutenant Helmeppo. Who're those?" Vivi frowned at the unknown names, but the others were fast to speak.

"What are those two doing there?"

The Strawhats' question was doubled by Sabo's own exclamation.

"What the hell is Koala doing there?!"

"With the Marines no less." Robin's face was a mix between worried and amused. She was really impressed by the younger girl's feat.

"Their logic is sound." Rayleigh mumbled, scanning the photo with a critical eye.

"Maybe they took Strawhat especially to extract information from him?" Cavendish was behind him, doing the exact same thing, a serious expression on his face.

"Probably even tortured him first." Shanks repeated Sanji's earlier words. "You think it was a mechanism of defense?"

"Doubt it." Marco sighed, speaking for the first time since he saw the photo. "I mean look at that grin." The pirate elaborated when strange looks were thrown at him.

"Yes, this might be our greatest problem as of now." The former pirate agreed, pointing at it. "But I might know who to ask for an opinion."

* * *

 _"Mhm, that's definitely real."_ Shakky spoke in the receiver, her tone devoid of any emotion.

Rayleigh had expected that much. "So you think there's no torture involved."

The black haired woman laughed. _"Red Hair's theory is surely something else, but I doubt it."_ There was a small pause on the other line before she spoke again. _"Look, that's definitely Strawhat and he's definitely without his memory. If you want to dig deeper than that you'll have to go there and see for yourselves."_

"Are you sure there isn't any grander plan or something?" Shanks asked impatiently, leaning over the sitting man.

 _"Doubt it."_ Was her clipped reply. _"You should not be so impatient Red Head. There might be a simple thing such as a wish for the reason he's like that."_

"It's red hair..." The younger man mumbled to himself.

Shakky laughed, implying she heard him. _"Besides, my intuition is not an oracle. If you want something like that, I'm sure Rayleigh knows an island."_

Both former cabin boys looked at the man in question. Rayleigh's smile was almost rueful. "Stop degrading me in front of the young generation Shakky."

 _"Then you stop playing around with words and go save him. At the last check you were pirates not detectives."_

With that, the line went dead.

"That wasn't really useful." Usopp shook his head.

"It was." Rayleigh disagreed. "We now know that there isn't any grand plan."

"Are you sure we can trust Shakky's intuition, though?" Buggy crossed his arms, clearly not sold with the idea.

Rayleigh gave him a look of pain and grim acceptance. "You have no idea how powerful a woman's intuition is."

The clown sweat dropped. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Then we go and save him right?" Sabo asked, his face a hopeful mask. In the background, Usopp, Chopper and Bartolomeo had the same faces.

"No." The grey haired man's reply served to undermine their mood immediately. "Now that we know what is happening, we are going to wait for Law to find that key. After that, we can begin searching for a way into Mariejois."

Everyone nodded.

"I will relay everything to Rebecca and Law." Vivi announced, turning on her heels for the ship.

"Rebecca too?" Robin's eyes were wide in disbelief.

The blue haired princess grinned. "Of course. We've had an alliance going for a while."

"Eh? Who's that? Say, Vivi..." Nami jogged up to catch her friend.

"Seems like our navigator is already better." Zoro mumbled, crossing his arms, watching Nami walk away with Vivi towards Alabasta's vessel.

"You would be too, if you'd stop with that negative attitude." Robin teased before turning to talk to Sabo.

The swordsman made a face, but was immediately knocked on the head by an enraged cook.

"Listen to Robin- _chwan_ you shitty marimo!"

"What did you just call me, shitty cook?"

Shanks smiled as he watched the conflict unfold.

"Seems like they are back to normal." Marco drawled from besides him. "Should I relay the message to the others?"

"Yeah, let's do that."

* * *

"Did you call us, Rayleigh-san?" Cavendish crossed his arms, sky blue eyes watching the man in front of him intently. The star had already figured he should not mess around with this guy, his nickname being the last of the reasons. Impel Down the first.

"Yes, I'm going to send you guys to Sabaody first. You will meet Jinbei and Ivankov there."

"Us?" The blonde turned his head and was surprised to see Mr. 3, Perona and Leo there.

"What for, old man?" The pink haired woman placed a hand on her hip, the other holding her strange umbrella.

Rayleigh smiled. "You are going to be looking around the World Government's Capital for a while."

* * *

Nami touched the Sunny's railing and smiled sadly. A nostalgic feeling erupted inside her chest and she had to hold back a few tears. She's really missed their ship, not only from a navigator's position. No, she felt as if she's been finally reunited with an old friend. It might be hard to walk around the ship without expecting to hear Luffy's obnoxious noises or crazy schemes, but she will get used to it. Hopefully not for long.

Usopp and Chopper climbed next, their eyes roaming around the ship. The small reindeer skipped a few steps on the grass, as green and vibrant as he remembered and almost sobbed. He really missed Luffy!

He shook his head furiously, trying to get himself rid of the sudden feeling of emptiness. His eyes locked on the door to the Infirmary and he ended up almost running towards it. He could not wait to see his books and make sure the medicine was all lined up. The small reindeer made a mental note to start researching about amnesia and mental illnesses soon. He will have to be prepared to treat his captain.

Usopp watched his friend go with a small upturn of the lips. Chopper was going to be alright. In contrast, the sniper could not say the same thing about himself. Looking around the deserted and silent ship again, the liar decided to finally let himself drown in his sorrows. And he knew just the right place for moping.

Sanji watched the idiot go towards Luffy's favorite spot on the figurehead and allowed himself a sigh. He was really starting to get bothered by the sad atmosphere. The blonde snorted when his mind helpfully supplied that he wasn't a happy fountain of emotions either. Dropping his cigarette in the water, the cook directed his steps towards his favorite room, the kitchen. He had to start sorting and counting the supplies-if they'd still have any after all this time. A shout behind him made his eyes roll. That stupid cyan head.

Franky grinned, hands on his hips, as he looked around his precious ship. Just like he remembered it. And no visible damage. He had to hand it to that bastard Iceburg- he'd done a good job. The cyborg will have to give him a call. Franky did not like to owe the man, but the shipwright will agree that the mayor had been a very much needed help in this whole mess. He had failed, but no more! The cyborg will make sure to keep the Sunny in top condition and more.

"From now on the ship will be always in _super_ condition!" Franky shouted, doing his signature pose.

Brook strummed his long lost guitar, feeling full of positive energy. Meeting Sunny again lifted the skeleton's spirits up and the Devil Fruit user wanted nothing more than to transmit these positive vibes to his saddened friends. Especially to their grumpy First Mate, his mind supplied. The man was becoming especially irritating, though the older pirate knew that was just Zoro's way of dealing with this situation. In contrast to the negative thinking the swordsman seemed to be dead set on following, Brook was _very_ sure that they will manage to save Luffy and everything will go back to normal before long. Having died once, the musician felt like he had a few more experiences under his belt, which made him even more fired up about cheering his friends up. No one should be sad when there was hope left. That was why Brook was there in the first place.

Robin touched a wilted petal and exhaled. She would have to see what she can save from her flowers before getting to cleaning up the remains and replanting everything. The hope that arrived with the Sunny was enough to keep her emotions at bay and now, the archaeologist wanted nothing more than get to the next step in Rayleigh's plan. Saving Luffy was the most important thing for the raven head right now. After that, they could deal with all the aftermath. Robin's eyes narrowed when the image Koala had taken floated again inside her mind. Even if Luffy was not in his right mind, so to speak, at that moment, there was certainly the mystery of the red haired girl and the little boy. She was not concerned, because wherever he went, Luffy could take care of himself-more or less. But the problem that had taken form inside Robin's mind was about the changes their captain might have undergone when in Mariejois. Numerous possibilities came and went but nothing solid.

"We'll just have to see when you come back then, Luffy."

Zoro looked up as he heard someone speak but his lone eye only spotted a turned back. Shaking his head, the swordsman crossed his arms. Though the scowl on his face did not move, his gaze softened a little. Damn, he really had missed the Sunny. The swordsman saw his favorite napping spot and hesitantly started towards it. He was experiencing a really strange feeling, like his mind expected something to happen, but his eyes did not see anything besides the deserted deck. The grass swished in the sea's breeze and Zoro finally allowed himself to breathe again. He was still bitter, but he couldn't stay mad on this ship. Sunny was a friend, and friends did not stay mad at each other for long.

"Oi, stupid marimo." Sanji's voice made his eye twitch.

 _Just his luck._

"What." He bit, turning his head to look at the cook's uncertain face. A green eyebrow rose up in surprise. That was something new.

"I've found it."

Zoro's feet unwillingly started to move towards the galley, mind reeling. Ignoring his wildly beating heart, the First Mate entered after the cook, his eye settling on the kitchen table.

A lone, beaten up straw hat stood on the table, its red strip as strident as always. Zoro stared at the hat and he felt the hat stared right back at him.

He heard Sanji light up his cigarette. The smoke clouded his vision for a second and the green haired man was glad for that. He did not know if he could continue to look at that hat without busting down Rayleigh's orders and making a swimming record to Mariejois.

"Nami- _swan_ ~!" The cook exclaimed and the navigator gasped in surprise.

The swordsman felt her get closer, a thin hand coming in his view. Nami's fingers were just shy of touching the worn material, when Zoro's own, larger hand caught hers.

"This stays here." He spoke, eye never leaving the hat. "Until he comes to take it back."

None of them had any reason to object.

* * *

Yasopp finished his knot and exhaled in relief. Finally, he could relax and his captain could not do anything to stop him. Smirking devilishly, he was about to go bother Ben or the red haired man himself when his sharp ears caught footsteps closing in.

He searched but there weren't any of his crewmates around. The sniper would have pinned this on his overreacting imagination if the steps wouldn't have transformed into a thump. Sharp eyes looked up to see a man sporting a dark yellow hat make himself more comfortable on the lion figurehead.

Yasopp's face contorted into a grin when he realized that he was looking at his son and allowed himself a few moments to study him, since Usopp hadn't noticed him yet. The kid had surely grown up, the pirate couldn't believe that he was that same small boy he left behind in Syrup Village. He has obviously heard many stories about the Strawhats' feats, but now he was curious to hear Usopp's.

Grin never leaving his face, the man climbed to sit on the railing close to his own ship's dragon figurehead. The distance was pretty small, so they could speak without shouting.

The motion was heard by the other sniper and his head immediately snapped up. Usopp's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened when he saw his dad standing casually on the railing, a grin stretching his face.

"Hey there sonny."

The younger cringed at the greeting. Even after all this time, the man remained unchanged.

"Hey, uhm, dad." _Good job Usopp, after more than ten years._

"What's with the sad face?"

Yasopp's eyes narrowed when his son's face fell even more.

"Don't tell me you're still moping around because of Luffy. You saw it, the kid's fine."

Usopp chuckled. "Right on point." His eyes shifted to gaze at the open expanse before them, taking in the nature of Rusukaina. It served to somehow calm him.

"It's more of the still-angry-at-myself part. But that's in the past, I guess."

"Oh?" The older man raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?" He could not help his curiosity.

"I refused to follow his orders."

The statement was whispered, but the older man heard it anyway. "What happened, Usopp?"

The Strawhats' sniper looked up at him in surprise when he heard his name spoken. His jaw was tense when he began speaking.

"Luffy asked me to destroy one of AkaInu's ships when we were battling the Marines, but I couldn't." Usopp confessed.

"Well, it might have been pretty hard, considering the size of it." Yasopp scratched his chin, considering the option. Maybe he'd try it when they'll meet him in the future.

The older pirate was surprised when Usopp shook his head.

"No, that wasn't the problem. The wind was altered because of the continuous swishing of cannonballs, so it would have been a gamble to launch the ammunition at the low altitude Luffy wanted. I could probably do it, but the impact would have caused the tremors in the water to hit Sunny hard and there was an active underwater volcano we bypassed right before we were ambushed, so if any lava from AkaInu would have gotten in there or the explosion would have been too big, it would have erupted."

Yasopp's jaw hung partly open in shock and a proud smile was threatening to burst out again. He crossed his arms, really curious about his son's newly acquired skills.

"How do you know there was a volcano?"

Usopp looked up, scratching his head. "Nami told us. She said the currents were strange in that area. And I saw the volcano's cone. It was really close to the surface."

The Red Hair's sniper made a sound of understanding, prompting a comfortable silence to settle between the two. Usopp continued to look between his father, the ship he was travelling on and the island's cliffs, still filled with a few people.

"You should stop beating yourself up for that." Yasopp's voice snapped him away from his musings.

Usopp looked up, prompting him to elaborate.

"The sniper's job is to destroy those guys from a long distance. Your captain gave you an order, but it's up to you to decide whether it's safe to act or not. He'll have to understand it."

The black haired teen still looked uncertain, but nodded anyway.

Yasopp sighed. What was he going to do with his unconfident son?

"Besides, Anchor's not the kind of guy to not understand that. So stop moping, your swordsman is a handful already."

His son mirrored his grin. A bit of light returned to his dark eyes and the older man patted himself on the back for a job well done in cheering up his son. That was the least he could do, after all these years.

"Yeah, he's starting to become irritating already." Usopp laughed.

* * *

 _NORTH BLUE-5 days later_

 _"Strawhat is alive."_

 _I knew it._

Law had known it for a long time actually. But he had let such matter slip, in favor of concentrating on other important things, like Impel Down and dealing with idiots.

The news that the alabastian princess relayed had not impacted him in any way. So he continued on.

Dark eyes watched the snow covered island come steadily closer as the submarine advanced through the cold waters. Just a little bit more and he'd be placing foot on a soil lost in his darkest memories. A saying taught that people had to confront their demons, but Law had asked himself a long time ago what could someone do when there was an army of those demons. But then, an obnoxious pirate appeared and he learned that those armies can be defeated with outside help. Funny, he hadn't thought of that.

* * *

"So this is Spider Miles." Sai shivered, as he looked at the wreckage around them.

Law took in the deserted landfill covered with snow and grime and his steps doubled. He truly did not want to stay here anymore than they had to.

A cloud of sand landed next to him.

"There's a village to the far north. But they're not gonna interrupt us." Crocodile exhaled smoke, following the others.

"This place looks like hell even with all the snow." Smoker shook his head. "I don't wanna know how it's like in the summer."

"You wouldn't, trust me." The pirate's voice was laced with venom. Even with all his mental barriers, the memories were still coming back. "Baby 5 where is it?"

The raven haired woman jogged to the entrance of the former Donquixote hideout and went straight to the left towards the former rooms of the crewmembers.

Law studied the deserted place and remained by the door while the others continued to explore. He's had enough of looking around.

A few minutes later, after a couple of thumps and things falling on the ground-possibly breaking by the awful sound-Baby 5 came back downstairs.

Her eyes were red rimmed, but Law didn't comment on it. She held out her hand and the doctor accepted the object handed to him. It was a simple golden key with an inscription spelling Holy City of Mariejois on it. On one end was an intricate design meant to make it hard to be replicated while on the other end was a transparent gem in the form of a diamond.

 _Fancy ass key._

"Alright, let's go-"

A sudden explosion cut him off. Everyone was immediately on guard, all looking at one another and then around the warehouse.

"You there!" A man's voice cut through the tension.

Law turned around to gaze at the mountain of garbage that should have been _deserted._ Unfortunately, it wasn't anymore. People, mostly men, were slowly but surely rising up from every mound of scrap available, like an army cornering its prey. And they fell for it.

"What the fuck Crocodile." The surgeon's eyebrows twitched dangerously as he watched all the people gathered in front of them. They might be able to make it back to the ships without much problems, considering there weren't any more surprises around the island-like Devil Fruit users.

The former Shichibukai looked mildly impressed, but snorted all the same. " _Ups_ , I guess."

"You don't even sound half sorry, you sandy bastard." Smoker lighted another cigar, his other hand lifting to grasp at the weapon on his back.

Crocodile shrugged, making no effort to defend himself.

"What the hell man, my blind grandma could have done a better job." Sai growled, reaching for his weapon as well.

"Then you should have brought her here." Crocodile lifted his hand, golden hook glinting in the weak sun.

"Not to destroy your party," Kyros began, locking eyes with Law, "but the Marines are here with a few ships."

The surgeon did not even tire himself out in asking exactly what he meant by _a few_. Instead, he unsheathed his sword, preparing for the battle ahead.

"We meet back at the ships. Try not to get your asses handed to you."

* * *

 _MARIEJOIS_

"Ouch."

The sound was followed by a hard thump on the floor. The young man on the ground slumped, a pout on his face.

"That was horrible, but you at least know the basics." A graying old man spoke, his arms folded. He was clothed in a traditional _Keikogi_ uniform and was glaring at the raven haired teen currently plastered on his dojo's floor.

"I can say that I'm surprised." Ivy snorted, her eyes clearly amused.

"Yeah, well you do better!" Lucy exclaimed, still not lifting himself up from his position.

"Already did." The red head replied smugly making her friend lift an eyebrow up.

He knew the girl could fight but-

"Indeed, Ivy was my very last student. I've poured all my teachings into her and she can kick your average ass anytime boy." The man announced.

A vein pulsed on Lucy's temple, his words striking a chord deep inside him.

"This sound like a challenge, old man?" The teen lifted himself from the ground slowly, his longer bangs partially shadowing his eyes. He suddenly grinned and looked up, eyes burning up. "Then I'm gonna make damn sure I beat her! And you too!" He declared, hands closing into fists.

"Then come." The old man challenged, his own hands lifting up in an attack position.

Lucy took a step back before running forward, right arm drawn back. When he was a few steps from the man he shouted, arm straightening in the other direction.

" _Gomu gomu no pistol_!"

His fist met the old man's outstretched palm, the force of his own attack throwing him back on the floor.

With a frustrated cry, Lucy lifted himself back up and shouted again.

" _Gomu gomu no bazooka_!"

In that moment, the raven head could have sworn his hands tingled, but he couldn't dwell too much on it as he attacked again, but was met with the same fate.

"Maybe you should drop the 'gomu gomu no'?" Ivy asked, hand on her cheek, looking mockingly disappointed.

Lucy scowled. "I don't wanna."

"Where did you even get that way of naming your attacks from?" The martial artist shook his head, clearly done with the fight.

The raven head opened his mouth to protest, intending to explain _that he really had no clue_ , but paused. Because the old man had already turned around and was walking to the exit!

"Woah, woah, wait!"

A bushy grey eyebrow was raised in permission to continue speaking.

"I wanna come here again. Teach me how to fight again old man!" Black eyes burned in determination, making the man sigh.

"I am not teaching anymore. But I suppose a few sparring matches will do me good."

Grinning at the positive answer, Lucy jumped up, not even tired from the numerous fights.

"Yosh! Let's go back Ivy!" With that he took off, clearly forgetting about his companion.

The red head shook her head, staring amusedly at the dust trail he was leaving in his wake. He had been really energetic ever since they came back from their cruise. A sudden shadow passed over her features when the conversation from that fateful day in Goa returned in her mind. Lucy's headaches have been a constant ever since then, but he'd surprised her when he had easily learned to deal with them.

"You look troubled." Kinjo stated, making his way back to the fighting ring with a tray of tea in his hands. He offered her a cup and a seat and she took it gratefully.

"Mind sharing?" The blunt question was so like her teacher that she found herself bursting out in laughter.

"Sorry." She breathed, taking a sip from the warm liquid.

"Is that him?"

Ivy nodded, her white gaze staring at the small reflection in the cup.

"You risked a lot, including both your lives when you brought him here." The old man commented, absently gazing at the empty tray.

"I obviously know that." The young woman snorted.

Silence settled between the two, something that made Ivy restless. Usually, her teacher would be busy filling it with words, insults and life lessons, all addressed to her. Lifting her head up, eyes widened when her white gaze locked with his dark one.

"You changed." The simple sentence felt like a cold wave had hit her.

"Wha-"

"I'm not going to berate you any longer for what you've done. There is one question I have left. Have you learned what you wanted from him?"

Ivy's eyes narrowed, mouth pressed in a tight line. "Almost." The whisper sounded like it came from someone else.

Kinjo nodded, speaking again. "Well you have to hurry. I fear there is no more time left."

She opened her mouth to ask more, but her teacher was already half way to the door. "Finish that delicious tea and leave. You can't let him out of your sight."

The Noble's stomach dropped.

* * *

"Whoo, food!" Lucy's hands were in the air as he entered the mansion, going straight for the kitchen. Over the months he had stayed here, the raven head's favorite routes were always the kitchen and the garden. More than once per day he'd scare the staff working there, not to mention the fridge was mostly empty in the mornings after his nightly snacks. It seemed everyone around him, including Ivy, remarked that his appetite was steadily growing with each passing day. As well as his headaches, but he tried to deal with them and not create anymore trouble for his red haired friend.

The black haired teen wondered what Kiiro was doing. He hadn't seen him ever since they came back, but he didn't have time to dwell on it any longer. He felt his body collide with someone else's and he only had time to turn his head a little before the impact sent them both backwards.

Rubbing his forehead, Lucy apologized, his face sheepish.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking."

"Yes, I could see that."

The black haired teen froze, every muscle in his body tensing at the sound of the bored tone the man above him spoke in. Looking up, black eyes locked with black and the young man resisted the urge to get away. Ivy's father was looking at him with void eyes, holes that he felt burned right through him, peeling him of everything.

A stiff silence embraced the two, neither speaking. Lucy tried hard to concentrate on looking somewhere else when those black holes were studying him so closely.

"How are you feeling, Lucy-kun?"

The man's question surprised him, but he answered quickly, almost stumbling on his own words.

"Fine, just a little hungry!" His voice got high pitched at the end, making him inwardly cringe. The noble did not seem to mind it though. "Uhm... thanks for asking." He finished lamely, inwardly berating himself and the stupid pounding in his head that just got even more unbearable.

"You don't look so concentrated to me. Does your head hurt?" The older man spoke in a monotone, clearly asking just to be polite.

 _Or another hidden reason._ Lucy's mind supplied. The boy resisted the urge to grit his teeth, forcing a carefully blank expression on.

"Not really. I'm just fine."

The noble didn't look like he was buying it, but he nodded his head anyway and walked away. Lucy almost sighed in relief when he heard him speak again, still moving away.

"Forgetting is like a wound, Lucy-kun."

His cryptic words left Lucy's head pulsing continuously. He waited a few more moments in silence for the man to leave completely. When the front door thudded closed, he stood up, swaying and made his way towards his room, snacks forsaken.

Thankfully, he arrived just in time for the pain to become like a needle being stuck in his brain, making everything around him rotate and blur. The last thing he heard before he was consumed by darkness was his own, mad scream.

* * *

 _"So remember this, Luffy. No matter what, the two of us have to live our lives with no regrets!"_

 _"Were going..._ _ **to be pirates**_ _!"_

 _"Listen Luffy... I have only one regret... That I couldn't see you achieve your dream... Thank you... For loving me!"_

Black eyes snapped open, gazing at the ceiling above his head. Lucy looked to his right instinctively and was surprised to see Kiiro dozing off on the chair beside his bed. Usually it would be Ivy, making a fuss. Placing a hand on his head, he swore that he had to remember something, but the events from before he blacked out were washed up at best so he let it go. It was bringing back the headache if he tried to think about it hard.

"You dreamed again Lucy?" The blond haired boy was up and running in less than a second.

The black haired teen grinned. "Yep, I think so!"

Blue eyes looked up at him curiously. "What did you dream about? You never told me about your dreams."

Lucy scratched his temple, clearly not feeling able to tell him anything.

 _Because he didn't have any clue what those dreams were about_.

Sometimes there were images, sometimes only darkness but whatever it was, voices were always speaking in his head, randomly and making no sense to him. At least, that's how his dream self felt. When he woke up he never remembered anything, rather, only after images like colorful ghosts or sounds that rung in his ears were his only proof that he was not going mad. At least not yet.

"Sorry, I never really remember them."

Kiiro blinked. "Eh, really?" His mouth was agape, clearly concerned for his friend. "Hana said that if you don't remember what you dream about is because you don't pay enough attention to what happens in that dream."

Even in his half asleep state, Lucy could find some flaws in the boy's words, but he decided to not address them.

"Where's Ivy?" He decided to change the subject.

"She said she wasn't feeling so good so she went to bed. I was just about to leave for the night too, before I dozed off."

Casting a look to the window, Lucy realized it was really dark outside. His surprise did not last long as he nodded and stood up from the bed.

"All right, as thanks for watching over me I'm gonna get you home!" The raven head declared, smiling at the beaming boy.

"Really? Thanks!"

* * *

The city at night wasn't as shiny as it was during the day, Lucy quickly concluded. One look at the massive clock on one of the buildings in the plaza and the young man realized it was pretty late.

 _Like two in the fucking morning._

He almost scolded Kiiro for staying with him for so long but didn't, because he was really touched and grateful.

The boy's house was no longer illuminated, something that made a question he had asked himself since he first met the boy pop up in Lucy's head.

"Say," he began, making Kiiro look up at him, "aren't your parents worried that you stay up this late with strangers?"

The boy thought the question over before he answered. "Not really. And they are not my parents. I've never met them."

A black eyebrow shot up in surprise. "Then what are they?"

"My masters." Kiiro answered it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Lucy's jaw was almost on the ground. "Please tell me you're not a slave." It was more of a demand.

The blonde giggled. "Not really. I don't wear shackles. But I'm not a Noble either. There are not many people like me, but they call us Commons. 'Cause we dress normal and are not really bound by our masters until they order us to do something." The boy explained, waving his arms for effect.

Lucy's hand was on his chin, his face thoughtful.

"I actually thought..." Kiiro hesitated, making Lucy curious about what he wanted to say.

"I thought that you were the same." Blue eyes gazed up at him with overflowing curiosity and anxiousness. "I'm not really sure now." He confessed quietly.

Lucy let his head drop backwards, eyes looking at the stars above, shining just as quiet and patient in the dark sky and resisted the urge to sigh.

 _"Freedom is all I want."_

"Me neither."

* * *

The trek back home was silent without his blonde haired friend, but now Lucy finally got some time to think. Something he wasn't so good at, nor was he really enjoying such occasions, but this was a serious enough situation to make an exception.

 _"One day, I'll have a ship and a crew better than yours! And we'll have the biggest hoard of treasure in the world!"_

Ignoring his pulsing head, no doubt about to have another one of those blasted dreams, the young man made a left on a side street, opting for a detour instead. Black eyes gazed absently around as Lucy tried to make sense of whatever was happening to him. His biggest problem was that he didn't have any way of knowing if something like that has been happening for a long time or just recently, more precisely since three months ago. The absence of his memories was worrying him more and more as the days passed by, and he was starting to feel like the world around him might be nothing but an illusion-a well thought one.

He wouldn't ask Ivy though, and he sure as hell won't tell her this. He knew, for a fact, that she was not acting. Neither she nor Kiiro for that matter. Lucy didn't know how he was so sure, but he just felt like they were being honest to him. The red head carried a darker aura than her usual attitude might care to divulge, but he did not care about that. He was sure that when she'll feel comfortable in talking about it, she will. Until then, it was not Lucy's business.

 _"Can you really do this..?"_

What the raven head did not plan to tell his friends, though, were the voices inside his head. He might have told Ivy that he started dreaming when he was awake too, but that wasn't the whole truth. And contrary to what he said that he didn't remember them, he actually did.

 _He heard them when they spoke._

On any other occasion it would have creeped the hell out of him. It still did. Not to mention most of the time they were speaking gibberish and his head started to hurt. That's why he didn't like to think about it.

A sudden flash and footsteps down the street in the dead silence of the night snapped him from his thoughts and he looked up just in time to see a shadow pass the building, running down the street. A nagging feeling told Luffy there were three people actually.

His curiosity awakened, the raven head made to follow the group, trying to tail them as quietly as he could. After some ten minutes of continuous running and stalking-on Lucy's part- the group stopped in the shadow of another big house, huddling close.

A quick look down the street and Lucy realized it was his street and the building on the other side of the street was _Ivy's house._

What the hell were those guys doing?

Their suspicious looks directed to the house in question didn't do anything to ease the teen's doubts at all. Hoping to avoid any conflict that might wake up the whole neighborhood, the black haired teen stepped away from his hiding spot, only for three pairs of eyes to be fixed on him.

 _Ah, they knew._

The one standing in the middle stepped forward, making Lucy drop in an attack stance. Surprisingly, the man lifted his hands up, showing no signs of conflict. Now that he looked at him better, the guy looked to be having _pink_ hair.

 _How._

"Uhm, do you have a minute?" Pink hair asked uncertainly. His hands were still raised and his eyes were looking anywhere but at him.

Raising an eyebrow, he nodded hesitantly. Somehow, these people were searching for him. As long as they didn't make a ruckus, he supposed he will indulge them.

The pink haired guy's face broke in a wide smile, which took Lucy aback a little. He made to follow him, keeping his two companions at a careful distance behind, a cautious look at the corner of his eyes.

They returned to a side alley and stopped near a bunch of crates, an awkward silence descending above them as the three looked at him with scrutinizing gazes, assessing him with almost predator eyes. On his part, Lucy brushed their looks away as he did his own research, taking in the new faces around him. Something tugged at his memory, but the raven head shook his head, not in the mood for another round of pain.

The guy next to pink hair had long, blonde hair and a scowl on his face. His arms were crossed and his eyes shadowed behind dark visors. Next to him was a woman, a little shorter than the two. Her hair was also blond, a cap on her head. They were all dressed in white uniforms with long, white jackets on their shoulders.

"Who're you?" The blunt question escaped his mouth before he could dwell on it.

The three almost jumped, something Lucy found amusing and strange. He had thought that they were some kind of soldiers, but they looked kind of distracted right now.

Pink head cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable to speak.

"We are from the Marine station."

His answer made the raven head even more suspicious. Eyes narrowing on their shadowed forms, he asked.

"Then what were you doing stalking houses like that in the middle of the night?" He crossed his arms for effect.

"Sorry!" Pink head almost screamed. "My name is Coby. These are Helmeppo and Koala. We were looking for you."

A jolt of pain burst in his brain at the confession and Lucy only managed to ask out loud, hand on his temple.

"Why?"

Coby looked ready to run out of there, but he pressed on.

"Because we wanted to speak with you and ask you a few questions."

His words were only a buzz in Luffy's ears at the moment. The raven head took a moment to sit down, exhaling in relief when the irritating feeling subsided a little.

"Luffy-san-"

"Who's that?" Black eyes looked up, eyebrows furrowed. A small spark of anger burst in Lucy's chest and though the feeling felt inexplicable to him at the moment, he could not help but fall into it.

The three looked shocked for a moment, before Coby snapped out of it, trying his best shot at a polite smile.

"Sorry, uhm, we would like to know if you remember anything about your arrival here?"

"Are you some kind of cops or something?" Lucy looked at them with suspicion, obviously not about to answer anything some random stalkers would ask him.

"Kind of. We just want to know how you've been feeling these past months." The blonde woman spoke softly, hands on her knees. Her face was honest, but the raven head could not bring himself to return their honesty.

"Just fine."

"Have you ever been to Sabaody Archipelago?" Helmeppo asked, his face carefully blank.

Though the question felt random to the young man, his anger doubled.

" _No_." Lucy growled, surprising all of them, including himself. Shaking his head, the teen stood up, ready to return home and forget about this.

"I've gotta go. It was nice... meeting you, I guess."

"Wa-wait a second Luffy-sa-"

"I told you!" Lucy's head turned around so fast, his neck cracked audibly.

The trio stopped in their tracks, eyes wide-particularly the pink haired guy's.

"I don't know who this guy is and _I'm not him_!"

Coby watched his amnesiac friend turn away and leave after his furious declaration. He was angry, but the Captain could not figure out why. Maybe because he said that name, though in his opinion, Luffy should have had some other reaction besides that random anger.

"He's behaving nothing like him." Helmeppo spat, crossing his arms.

"Maybe because we are suspicious people in the middle of the night, looking for him _and_ asking him strange questions!" Koala whispered back furiously, her glare not helping Coby in the least. Though he understood her feelings.

Their approach hasn't been the best thought out plan they could have concocted, but they were starting to become desperate. Coby smiled as he watched his friend's back disappear inside the darkness. His behavior might have been unusual, but his eyes were a constant that the pink haired man had counted on and he was happy to know it still remained.

Luffy might have lost his memories, but he was still there. Their friend was alive and kicking. He just needed to be snapped out of his amnesiac stupor. And the Marines-along with their revolutionary side-kick, were planning to do just that.

But first, they had a report to Rayleigh to make.

* * *

Ivy breathed deeply, trying to settle her rapidly beating heart.

 _I've made it._

Swiftly closing the window to her room, she stripped her black costume, throwing it directly in the trash, before going to the bathroom to wash the blood no doubt splattered on her face and neck.

Killing those two bastards had been much more tiring and disgusting than it was really worth. Not to mention she caught them in the middle of one of their experiments. Unfortunately, the man on the metal table had been dead by the time she finished with those two.

The red head's thoughts took a sudden turn, settling on one of the more uncomfortable conclusions she had came to. Namely, that Lucy had to undergo this kind of experiment at least three times a week and she had known.

 _And it hadn't bothered her._

Until a month ago. Since then, she had tried to keep Lucy away as much as he could from them, making up random excuses to her father. The man looked like he bought them, but Ivy was sure that wasn't the case. Her father was more cunning than anyone in the city combined. That was why he was the only person the Five Stars kept up the communication with, demanding reports and cover ups for any of their _lesser_ doings.

Kinjo was right, Lucy had changed her, but not as much as he'd think. The red head liked to consider herself independent from this city and the nobles. And whatever her reasons, they will be not influenced by anyone, just like in Lucy's case.

She had learned a long time ago that it was enough to say it for something to go your way. If these people had half the mind, she would have been discovered long ago, but in essence, for someone to do whatever they wanted without problems, _you just had to be a good actor_.

And Ivy was sure she had them all fooled, except probably the most dangerous of all of them. Her father would find out sooner or later. And if those two had sent their report before she killed them, then the older man was already on Lucy.

 _Time was running out._

* * *

 **A/N: Hi :D**

 **I'm posting this in hope I can get to beta the other remaining chapters until tomorrow(prayer circle). Then it will be how much wi-fi can you steal and post a chapter (no joke, I'll have to resort to drastic measures xD)**

 **I hope no one gets confused with all the time skips... I know I did ._. (still am, but don't worry, the plot is moving! owo)**

 **Past me had written in the original doc that I should make it plausible...I tried my best past me sniff**

 **So yeah, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave me your thoughts!**

 **Also, if you spot any grammar and spelling mistakes pls tell me o3o**

 **Reviews and Feedback are loved! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

TRUTH

* * *

 _Next day- NORTH BLUE_

A sudden explosion rocked the two ships and one submarine, making several people on said vessels swear audibly. Law wanted nothing more than to make the bastards explode back, but unfortunately they were having a hard time only maintaining their speed.

A look behind them told him the Marine ships were gaining on them and it made the pirate even more irritated. After the blasted trap they had been caught in on Spider Miles, the group managed to make it back safely to their ships, only to find themselves face to face with Kyro's ' _a few ships_ '- which were in actuality more than _fucking_ ten.

 _How the fuck._

Smoker's help had been no more useful than if they would've tried negotiating themselves with the soldiers, so they arrived at the conclusion that these isolated Marines did not have any clue who they were dealing with.

Seeing this window of opportunity arise, the white haired soldier had quickly forsaken his uniform for a pirate disguise, transforming years of irritation on his employers into powerful attacks that decimated at least half of their forces in less than an hour. The pirates had been impressed, grudgingly.

"We are almost done with establishing the connection!" Rebecca shouted over her ship's railing.

Sai made a growl of approval, launching another counter attack along with Baby 5. Law looked at her, then at the black haired man and his fighting crew and then at his own fighting crew and he sighed. He hoped they'd make it in less than five days to the Calm Belt with this speed.

"Done!" The rose haired girl shouted, her eyes looking at Law in silent question.

The man used his Devil Fruit ability to teleport himself on Dressrosa's ship, dark eyes locking with the innocent snail.

"Rayleigh we found it." His words were shadowed by another explosion.

" _Alright, we'll be waiting for you to come back."_ Was the only reply before the snail went back to sleep.

Rebecca opened her mouth to speak, but another cannonball fell in the water near the vessel, rocking them violently.

Law rolled his eyes, ready to leave their 'hosts' behind. The last thing he heard before his _Room_ activated was Crocodile's manic laughter and Smoker's colorful words shouted at his own kin. The doctor was surprised by the white haired man's actions and almost asked him why he wasn't a pirate.

He refrained in fear of his own ship sinking in the next few minutes.

* * *

Coby tapped his fingers on the table in front of him, impatiently waiting for Koala to finish with the Den Den Mushi. Even in its overworked state, his mind was continuously searching for different kind of possibilities and scenarios that might be able to help in their quest of regaining his friend's memories. He knew that as of now, there were pretty much none, but he was sure there _had_ to be something, anything.

"Okay, it's ready." Koala announced, cracking her knuckles. "Do you want to add anything else besides what we've already written?"

The pink haired soldier shook his head. Helmeppo wasn't even looking at them. His covered eyes were watching another set of screens, though Coby was sure his mind was not on them.

Returning to his own thoughts, he continued brooding until the blonde man's voice echoed in the dimly lit room.

"I think you should tell them to stay put."

His companions turned to him with various degrees of confusion.

Helmeppo was forced to explain further. "You saw how he reacted to seeing us and hearing our names. When I asked him if he visited Sabaody, he went _ballistic_! Imagine if he sees all of them at the same time. His head would explode."

The _literally_ part was not added, as it would add to the grimness of the situation, but it was understood anyway.

Koala sighed. "You make a good point, but we already detailed what happened and how he behaved."

"We also underlined the fact that he ' _went ballistic_ '." Coby made air commas as he spoke. "So I don't see the need. Rayleigh-san will know what to do. As much as we've been told by Koala, he's a pretty level headed guy."

"Not to mention the Dark King and former First Mate of the Pirate King." Helmeppo crossed his arms, frowning accusingly. "With what kind of people are we stuck Coby?" He asked rhetorically.

His friend rolled his eyes, though he could not help but agree with Helmeppo in his mind.

Koala sighed. "Well I'm sorry some of us are _that_ kind of people." She made a face. "Face it, you guys wouldn't even have managed to do half the things we've done during our alliance."

"You mean breaking most of the basic Marine rules, not to mention espionage and traffic of information and trespassing." The two marines felt compelled to remind her.

"See? You wouldn't have even dreamed of those." The revolutionary flashed a cheeky grin. "We've had this thing done in half the time too."

Coby shook his head, not wishing to further argue with her. These past few weeks have taught him to stop trying. She'd win anyway.

The snail made a short sound, signaling the message was sent. Now they could only wait for these people to start causing havoc.

The sound of typing made Coby do a double take. Helmeppo was on her before the other could open his mouth.

"The hell do you think you're doing woman?!" The blonde watched the Koala's fingers type furiously, not even stopping to acknowledge him.

"Koala-san..."

"I'm trying to find a way to help our little victim." The officer explained. "This guys need to have at least a list of whatever _these_ are. I heard they are quite common antidotes for people that are brought here."

A few rounds of silence passed before she stopped, eyes scanning the screen with super speed.

"What is it?" Coby did not like the silence.

"Apparently, there are also people named _Commons._ "

A pink eyebrow shot up in surprise. "Huh?"

"They are brought here because of whatever reasons, but they are kept like trophies by the Celestial Dragons." Koala spoke, resuming the text on the screen. "And to make sure they keep their personality but not their knowledge, as they might pose a threat, their memories are somehow blocked away and they cannot access them."

"Wait, so they are not fully mind wiped?"

Helmeppo shook his head, reading from the screen too. "No, they are only blocked. And they undergo special therapy that makes them become one of the nobles, technically."

"But in reality, the people there are extracting the information from their brains without their knowledge." Koala finished.

"But how can they do that without the user noticing it?" Coby was on his feet, intent on seeing for himself.

"There can be slips of memories, but since the serum is administrated at least three times a week, they would think about it as just another dream." Helmeppo was starting to question the Government even more now. What the hell did those guys think they were doing? This whole situation felt like his father's reign all over again.

Coby stopped in his tracks, eyes growing wide. "Serum!?"

"After they finish with them, the subject either dies or lives but with severe mental problems. This serum has such power of blockage that the brain sometimes cannot take it." Mouth pressed in a tight line, Koala made to click to read further, but a hand on the keyboard stopped her.

Coby gazed at the screen for a minute, before his eyes settled on hers. "If this thing exists, then I'm pretty sure a cure for unblocking it is real too." He leaned over the desk, typing furiously on the poor computer keys.

"How do you know that?" The blonde haired woman asked, trying to keep up with the marine soldier.

"Because the Celestial Dragons are too predictable." Coby explained. "They like their toys to be able to think and suffer. Also, they'd have no one to show off with, if those people become vegetables."

Helmeppo made a sound of agreement and Koala nodded, hand on her chin. She was focused on his hacking.

Coby would have never thought he would use this particular skill to break into the _Marines'_ system. But then again, nothing went as planned in his life, so he should have kind of expected it.

After a few minutes of continually pressing the keys, the computer displayed the results of his work.

Three pairs of eyes lit up.

" _Bingo._ "

* * *

"They did it." Rayleigh's eyes were filled with mirth and delight.

 _Those kids are really something else._

"What happened, Rayleigh-san?" Nami asked, leaning over his shoulder to get a better look. Behind her, Usopp and Brook also looked on in curiosity.

The older man chuckled. "We have just received a message from Law and the others."

"Really?!" Vivi was on them in an instant. She looked at the brown Den Den Mushi placed on her desk with such intensity, it made the creature crawl back in its shell. "Did they get it?"

"Yes." Rayleigh nodded, shifting through the papers in his hands. "Koala and her Marine friends also sent us a message. I think you should get everyone here for this."

His expression took on a darker edge and Nami instantly knew it must be about their captain. The orange haired woman looked to her sniper friend. "Usopp, please fire the signal. Robin, Sanji-kun and Zoro can't be out too far in the forest."

Usopp nodded, his steps fading on the wooden deck as he searched for a higher position to launch their smoke signal.

"Why are they in the forest?" One eyebrow raised, the princess looked to be contemplating their reasons, but her friend shook her head in amusement.

"Robin was really mad at Zoro for taking it so far. So she took him saying 'I'm going to take this dog to cool his head off'," the navigator recited, "She took Sanji-kun to make sure our swordsman doesn't try to escape."

Vivi blinked, but an amused smile tugged at her lips. "I think her reason might be more to give him a distraction." She grinned teasingly and Nami mirrored her expression, light brown eyes twinkling.

"We may never know."

* * *

"So what happened, Rayleigh-san?" Robin crossed her arms, a polite smile on her face.

Next to her, Sabo was almost jumping around in anxiousness. His surprise at Koala's actions had long since waned away, leaving him nervous about her well being. What had been in Dragon's mind when he let her enter Mariejois _alone_?! He'd better have a talk with his superior when he got back.

The former pirate looked at the people gathered around, his gaze lingering on Shanks and Buggy's glaring forms before shifting to Zoro's own glower and he sighed.

Somehow, Buggy had managed to get the Yonko all riled up and, having so many years of experience when it came to babysitting them behind him, Rayleigh was partly surprised. He'd learned the red head had mellowed a little when it came to fights of this kind. He was a man that could not be easily ticked off, but it seems his childhood friend did not lose his talent of doing just that. The grey haired man shook his head in exasperation. Now he'd have to deal with their twelve years old selves again.

 _In the middle of planning to invade the World Government's Capital, too._

Ignoring the green haired swordsman, Rayleigh unfolded the paper and recited the message written.

His words had the immediate effect of making mostly everyone gasp. Some of them cursed, like Buggy and Zoro, some were happy to hear that he was alright, namely Sabo. Shanks' smile was unintelligible, a mix between a grimace and a happy upturn of the lips at hearing about the young man's whereabouts.

The rest of the Strawhats were silent, not knowing how to react to such grim news. Luffy was alive and alright, but at the cost of his memories and forgetting everything he'd ever stood up for. Now he looked like he was only a doll in the Celestial Dragon's hands. This thought only served to undermine their spirits, but Rayleigh was not going to let this happen.

"I think it's about time we've taken action."

His words snapped everyone out of their stupor. Many pairs of eyes settled on him in question.

"I am going to start making up the teams for the door search. From what Doflamingo told us, it's somewhere hidden. Everything will be explained to you better when you get to Sabaody. You'll meet the captains of your respective search teams there. They've been at it for the past few weeks."

"Who are they?" Sabo asked, placing his hat on his head.

The older man smiled, clearly enjoying his tangled and two faced plans. One should not underestimate one of the most powerful pirates in the world.

"I'll let you be surprised. Prepare to set sail!"

* * *

 _MARIEJOIS_

 _"The Grand Line is just going to keep going on...surpassing your wildest imaginations! And the enemies will be strong. Can you really conquer this ultimate ocean?"_

Lucy stepped outside his room carefully, eyes going in all directions just to be sure. After the incident yesterday, he surely did not want any repeat or another surprise. Besides, the destination he had set out for was not quite approved of either.

Trying to be as silent as he could, the young man descended to the front entrance and was just about to sigh in relief and pat himself on the back for a throughout ninja performance when the cold voice that made him shiver spoke up from the shadow of a pillar.

"Lucy-kun, it's good to see you again."

Muscles tense, the raven head turned around slowly, fully facing Ivy's father. He's never understood how such a stuck up guy could be her father. Ivy was totally different from him.

"Ye-ah, ah, yes, me too." Berating himself for messing up, Lucy clamped his mouth shut.

The black haired man did not look like he minded the partially impolite answer.

"I've heard you haven't been to the training again. Any reason for the sudden refusal?"

Lucy tried to think back hard about _why_ he did, indeed stop, because he knew that lying was out of the discussion. He couldn't lie to save his life.

"Ah, I forgot about it. I've been hanging around with Ivy and Kiiro." Partial truth, but it was better than nothing.

In reality, he had consciously chosen to forget about it, dragging his friends around when the time came for whatever reason. Ivy did not seem to mind it much and she even encouraged his absence, so his conscience was clear.

The black haired man studied him with a look Lucy knew was used only on the most retarded people, _the look_ the guy seemed to prefer using when talking to him. Jaw tight and fists clenched, he tried hard not to punch him. How dare he-

"So you haven't been there since you came back, am I right?"

Cocking his head to the side, black eyes took on a confused light. "No. Why?"

"Nothing." The older man brushed him off, hand raised to wave him away. He turned around, heading back into the room he came from.

Lucy gritted his teeth, but continued on his way outside. No use starting a conflict with such a bastard. He'd find a way to win whatever Lucy did to him.

* * *

"He looked sincere." One of the Gorosei said, shifting his sword, glasses glinting in the chandelier's light. He looked at his colleagues, watching them each offer a nod of agreement.

"Indeed. It seems like you daughter did quite a number on your poor scientists, though, Kizoku." The tall, thin bearded man commented, scrutinizing the noble.

The man in question did not look perturbed by his accusation in the least. Offering a rueful smile, he stepped closer to the center of the room where the five nobles were seated.

"Indeed. But we've obtained what we were searching for from Strawhat Luffy."

"And?" The blonde haired Gorosei asked impatiently.

"No clue about the location of his father. But we have more intel on what happens in the pirate world. Unfortunately, we could not find out any more information about the Yonko's moves. For a pirate of his status, he is quite scatterbrained. Not to mention uninformed." Kizoku explained, his eyes betraying a hint of irritation. "He does not even read the newspaper."

The Noble with the birthmark spots on his forehead nodded. "That's why he has become such a threat. Doing what he wants without yielding to the way the world works is a dangerous talent. Gol D. Roger was as irritating as him."

"Gentlemen," The man with the scar on the left side of his face and grey dreadlocks spoke, attracting their attention, "I suggest we stop losing our time with him. You know what to do Kizoku."

The black haired man nodded gravely. "Everything will go according to your wishes, Gorosei-sama." Another malicious upturn of the lips appeared.

"It's high time we dispose of the trash that has accumulated inside the Holy Capital."

* * *

 _At the same time_

Black eyes took in the outside of the small dojo with a detached air. Exhaling in preparation, he slid the doors open, eyes settling on the older man sitting on the _tatami_ mats.

Kinjo looked up, his expression as calm as ever. Somehow, it made Lucy even more angry than he was when he left the mansion.

"What have you come here for again, boy?"

Fist clenched, the raven head stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He let his hair shadow his eyes, closing them and trying to calm himself down.

 _"My name is Coby. These are Helmeppo and Koala. We were looking for you."_

 _"Luffy-san-"_

 _"I've heard you haven't been to the training again. Any reason for the sudden refusal?"_

" _This is the burden of a captain, you can't doubt yourself. In times like these if you lose your confidence, then who can we have faith in?"_

 _All these fucking voices inside my head..._ _ **GET OUT**_ _._

With a loud battle cry, Lucy launched himself at the martial artist, hand stretched back. Kinjo met his hand with a powerful block, throwing him backwards.

His eyes watched the young man get up again and start attacking blindly, not even stopping to consider his unsuccessful attacks.

 _This kid... what happened to him?_

After a while, it became irritating and Lucy did not look like he would stop soon, so the older man decided to do that for him. Just as he got in a stance made to render him immobile, the raven head shouted again, clearly meaning to attack but his feet did not move from the spot he was in.

Dark brown eyes widened when the other's arm stretched at an impossible speed over the distance, going straight for him. Well honed reflexes kicked in, making Kinjo parry the blow automatically. The hand that stretched seemed to drag the boy's body after it and Lucy was at his side in an instant, but the older man was faster. Taking advantage of the opportunity the boy let slip, Kinjo rendered him immobile.

His scrutinizing eyes watched Lucy try to catch his breath, silently asking himself how was the last shot possible.

"How did you do that?"

His words seemed to snap the teen out of his angry haze. He blinked up at the professional fighter, like he was asking himself how they got in that position.

"Do what?"

Kinjo grit his teeth. Clearly the boy had no clue what he was talking about. Deciding to let the supernatural feat slip, he disentangled himself from the boy's limbs and stood up.

"Get out."

Lucy's mouth pressed in a tight line. "No."

"I don't have anything to discuss with reckless fools." The older man's words made him flinch.

"When did I-I just came here to have a spar with you!"

"Where is Ivy?"

The change in subject surprised Lucy. Now that he thought about it... _he didn't have any clue_.

"She killed the scientists."

His head snapped up to look at him so fast, joints cracked.

"What?!"

Kinjo crossed his arms. "If you can't even take care of your friends, then how do you expect to survive alone like this?"

 _"Being alone hurts worse than pain."_

"Where is she?" Lucy demanded, taking a threatening step towards Kinjo.

The man did not look perturbed in the least.

"Get out of my Dojo." He didn't answer him.

"What! Old man answer me-"

"Get out of here _pirate_!"

Lucy's mouth clamped shut, his eyes wide.

 _"Remember, you are a Celestial Dragon master Lucy."_

 _"I'll become the King of Pirates!"_

A trembling hand went to his head, trying in vain to ignore the building pain. Before the young man could say anything else, Kinjo turned his back to him, clearly a sign of dismissal.

"This is not the place where you belong, Strawhat Luffy."

 _Again that damned name._

* * *

Kinjo watched the young man run away back into the city and sighed. His eyes closed involuntarily, long lost memories assaulting him.

"You are a strange one kid. Even if involuntarily, you make all kinds of people look out for you."

Dark eyes opened to gaze at the empty street.

"That's what makes you so dangerous, Strawhat Luffy."

* * *

 _At the same time  
_

White eyes widened as the words traveled through the wall. Muffled as they were, Ivy could very much guess the subject of the discussion and their replies.

And she did not like it.

Not to mention that it had been confirmed to her that her father was well informed of the fact that she had killed his underlings. That man was updated in real time, however strange and fucked up that could seem.

The red head thanked all gods that they did not manage to get much out of Lucy. Somehow, in some strange, twisted sort of way, her plan had actually worked.

 _Now the only thing left to do is get our asses out of here._

She was just about to step away when another, louder statement was spoken.

 _"Gentlemen, I suggest we stop losing our time with him. You know what to do Kizoku."_

Ivy's insides turned to ice at that moment. She had hoped they would stop to investigate more, but the Five Stars looked ready to take action and dispose of them quickly. No use striking up an uproar.

 _"Everything will go according to your wishes, Gorosei-sama. It's high time we dispose of the trash that has accumulated in the Holy Capital."_

Her father's words were the last drop. Lifting herself up from her hiding spot, she exited through the window she came from. Before she was completely out of earshot, her father spoke again, this time much closer.

"You should stop running Ivy. It's no use in the end."

His cold words made Ivy's steps double and her breath hitch in her throat.

 _Not if I have a word in it._

She had to find Lucy. _Now._

* * *

Lucy huffed, trying his best to not stumble. He had quickly come to the conclusion that running did not help the pain in his head at all. Rather, it made it worse. Now the voices were starting to speak one over the other, making all the gibberish harder to understand and control.

Black eyes widened in relief when the large mansion appeared from behind the corner. Just a little more and he'd get the chance to talk to Ivy. Something told him that she was probably in her room, but the raven head berated himself for _forgetting_ \- how the hell can you forget about your friend?!- to look for the red head. He remembered Kiiro telling him that she went to sleep early, but that's when his recollection of his friend's whereabouts ended.

 _"She killed the scientists."_

 _Like hell I'm gonna believe that._

"Not until she tells me face to face." The raven head mumbled, huffing slightly as he passed the threshold. His eyes were fixed on his target- the stairs. But the massive person in his way did not grant him passage.

Lucy found himself face to face with an old man that was wearing a formal black suit and a black hat over graying dreadlocks. The scar on his left temple made Lucy take a step back.

All at once, he felt surrounded by another four men, all old, except the blonde one. He looked way younger than the other mummies.

He opened his mouth to greet them and be on his way, but the guy with the sword spoke.

"I didn't think you'd be so reckless. It seems your strange way of doing things will truly be your downfall this time, Mugiwara Luffy."

Lucy brushed the name away, trying hard not to think why the hell did all these people call him by that name _today_ of all times! He felt like it was a chain reaction that started with that pink haired guy.

"Oh my," Ivy's dad exclaimed, looking pretty disappointed. "I thought catching you would be much more interesting."

A black eyebrow rose in surprise, but Lucy did not have any more time to think about it. An iron grip caged both his arms, forcing them on his back. Lucy struggled, but it was impossible to move. Whoever was holding him was doing a good job.

"Where is Ivy?!" His growl was met with silence. Ivy's dad smirked, making the raven head sweat. He couldn't have-

"Don't worry, she'll be joining you soon."

With those words, his world turned black.

* * *

Coby watched the man in front of him squirm, his eyes looking anywhere but at them. The uncomfortable atmosphere in the room made the pink haired man shift uncomfortably in return. His eyes looked to the blonde haired woman that was scattering papers, tubes and small, funny colored bottles around the room.

"The hell is taking you so long?" Helmeppo's head popped from behind the cracked door, his face contorted in a scowl. His friend had lost in their rock-paper-scissors game and now was stuck with watching the door and making sure no one dared enter and disturb their... _thieving_. Because Coby could not think about the current situation any other way.

"Shut up, I'm working on it!" Koala whispered back furiously, tossing a pink bottle with yellow stripes towards him. It barely missed, shattering on the door and leaving an orange stain that gradually got green spots. Whatever it was in there, the Captain did not want to know.

Ignoring the curse words directed at her, Koala resumed her search. "It would be ten times faster if the guy would tell us where the hell it is!"

She glared at the man, almost making him faint.

"Then make him speak! What the hell are you in there for Coby?!" Helmeppo whisper-shouted from the door again.

Coby grimaced. "I am watching the prisoner...?" He offered.

"Like hell you do coward. Just make him talk already!"

Seeing both his friends glare at him, the pink haired marine supposed he did not have any choice. Taking a few steps closer to the trembling man, he offered his best polite smile and spoke.

"We would be forever grateful if you could tell us where the antidote is."

* * *

" _Pft_. Forever grateful my ass." Helmeppo huffed, walking faster towards the exit.

His comment was lost to the other two behind him, covered by the angry sounds of alarms and orders shouted over the Den Den Mushi.

"Are you sure the distraction worked, Koala-san?" Coby asked, almost running, but not quite.

The revolutionary shrugged. "Let's hope so. If not, these guys are after us, so we should hurry the hell up!"

"What's the plan Coby?" The Captain-Lieutenant asked, decreasing his speed so they could catch up to him.

The pink haired man thought hard before he answered.

"We go out there and search for Luffy-san. Then we make sure we get him out of there."

 _Bulletproof plan._

"If this is the 'bulletproof' plan you were talking about, know it's shit."

His friend's blunt words only served to undermine his spirits.

"But we have no other choice nor plan." Helmeppo finished.

"Let's hope those people managed to find the damn door." Koala whispered mostly to herself, but her two companions overheard and could not help but hope the same.

They had to get out of there fast. Time was running out.

* * *

 _ABOVE FISHMAN ISLAND_

Zoro watched Fishman Island shrink under them as their ship gradually ascended towards the surface.

They have left Sunny on the island and boarded a no name vessel meant to take them to Mariejois fast. Jinbei and some pirates from his crew had been there waiting for them, their mission being to bring them to the capital as fast as humanly- and fishmanly?- possible.

"As far as Rayleigh has informed me, you are in top condition, so we can launch this operation fully."

The people on deck blinked.

"What does this have to do with searching for a door?" Brook scratched his afro. Buggy nodded from near the railing.

The clown was still in the denial stage, having been _again_ forced on the ship and in taking part. He will forever curse the Shanks-Rayleigh duo.

 _When I become the Pirate King, I'm going to kill them!_

"This is not the only purpose of the teams." The Fishman explained. "Actually, we have found the door. More than one."

"Huh?!" Franky and Sanji exclaimed.

"So that means we'll be raiding it from all sides." Mr. 3 concluded, having made the connections faster than his comrades.

Jinbei smiled and nodded, arms crossed.

"I will now start calling the teams. When we arrive, the team captains will be waiting for you and we'll split up immediately. No use in causing a commotion. Until Law gets here, all of you will be getting to know the outside districts of the World's capital."

The blue skinned man studied the various expressions around him as he took out a folded paper.

Most people gulped, clearly not happy with the idea of random teams, but Rayleigh was behind them, so they concluded that there had to be some twisted sort of reasoning there... _somewhere_.

"Usopp, can you place this in your bag?" Chopper tugged at the sniper's sleeve. Usopp looked down at the worn straw hat with a red ribbon and something hurt in his chest. But then a wave of determination washed over him and he nodded, hand reaching out to take it from his friend.

A skeletal hand stopped them mid-change. Brook's absent eyes gazed at them both before he smiled.

"I will make sure to keep it safe. You'll need easier reach to your ammunition."

Usopp considered the truth in his words and nodded. Brook placed the hat on his afro under his Soul King hat. It will be safe there, the other two were sure of that.

Zoro watched the exchange with furrowed brows, but decided not to say anything.

Jinbei cleared his throat, attracting their attention.

"The teams will be made out of five people. In my team will be Zoro-san, Buggy, Law-kun and Smoker."

An awkward silence passed over the group, especially over the only two present. Zoro looked at Buggy, the clown looked at him with a mixture of exasperation and horror, before both their gazes settled on the fishman. Jinbei was confused why they suddenly started glaring at him, but they were almost on the surface so he didn't have time to dwell on it.

"Why am I-"

"That impossible bastard, how _dare_ he-"

" _On Ivankov's team_ ," the fishman continued, drowning their protests, "are Robin-san, Mr. 3, Sabo-kun and Bartolomeo."

"Yes, I am in a team with Robin-senpai!" The green haired man whooped, doing his own little happy dance.

Sabo shook his head and offered the black haired woman a smile. "Feels like we are back on Baltigo."

Robin gave a short laugh, completely agreeing with him.

Mr. 3 adjusted his glasses. At least he had _some_ level headed people in his team.

"The people going with Hancock-san will be Nami-san, Ideo, Sai and Franky-san."

Nami sighed in relief. At least she won't be completely alone with strangers. Though the orange haired woman had an idea who the other two were, she was curious all the same what they were like. She grinned at the shipwright who grinned right back.

"Heracles is already with Perona-san, so the other three are Rebecca, Chopper-san and Brook-san. The people not here are either with Law or already there."

"Hm, I've never met any of them." Chopper mumbled, increasingly anxious. His skeleton friend placed a reassuring, bony hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Chopper, I'm sure they are nice people."

The small reindeer nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm still confused how that woman got tangled in all this." Zoro shook his head, clearly not about to bother thinking about it anymore.

"Usopp-san, Sanji-san, Vivi and Crocodile will be with Cavendish and Leo."

" _What_! Why does Crocodile have to be in our team!?" The sniper exclaimed, obviously not happy with the addition of the sandman. He looked behind him just in case.

"Who the hell are those?" The cook asked, referring to the last two names as he exhaled smoke from his cigarette, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"That blonde head with the fancy hat and the little guy." Usopp offered the easiest description possible. Sanji's face dropped, but then he forgot about it and focused on the most important thing.

"Vivi- _swan~_ I cannot wait to be working together again with you!"

Eyes heart shaped and body already dancing like a noodle, the blonde was sold.

Usopp cried, Vivi smiled at their antics and Crocodile might have sneezed on the other part of the world, watching Smoker and Law have a heated argument over how to get through the Calm Belt faster.

But we may never know.

* * *

"Alright, Okama team! Let's go!" Ivankov struck a dramatic pose, his larger than normal head looking mildly amusing and wrong in comparison to the rest of his body.

At least to Mr. 3. The other two did not look concerned at all, almost as if they were already used to it and Bartolomeo... he was too busy fangirling- or fanboying?

"You should keep the cloak on too, Ivankov-san." Robin suggested, tugging her own black cloak over her head more securely. She did not want any slip up.

The purple haired okama snapped out of it and did the same.

Sabo was already looking around the bustling plaza.

"Where are we headed to?" His voice broke through the chatter of the crowds.

 _Too many people_ , in Mr. 3's humble opinion.

"Follow me. I will show you our hideout, too."

Bartolomeo cheered.

* * *

Hancock scrunched her nose up in disgust and made a mental note to give Rayleigh a good piece of her mind when this was all over.

About to take part in the most important mission of her life, saving her _precious_ Luffy, and she ended up with an irritating orange head and three gorillas. At least one of them was coming later. But still, what is wrong with this world?

Nami's eyebrows were raised as she watched the older woman have an internal debate. And from the looks of it, it wasn't too pretty. Next to her, Franky opened his mouth to speak, but the motion snapped the Empress out of it and she cut him off.

"I'm not here to babysit so you better be capable of taking care of your own butts. Are we clear?"

Ideo's face was clearly doubtful, but he nodded along with Nami and Franky. No use in making war with the Shichibukai.

Crossing her arms, Hancock started towards the place they were supposed to be going, opting for the quieter side streets.

Nami shook Ideo's hand in greeting, smiling at the black haired man. Besides his strange shoulders, he was a pretty nice guy. Maybe this whole team thing won't be so bad after all.

* * *

"So this is the door?" Usopp scratched his head, looking at the golden, well, door.

It was pretty big, with a large keyhole that allowed view on the other side, where a less bustling city was. The sniper was half tempted to try and fit Chopper through, or even better, _Leo_ , but he abstained in the end. If they didn't think of that earlier, then there might be a trap or a security system.

"Yes Uso-land." The dwarf answered, his whole persona pulsing in anticipation of the mission.

Cavendish snorted, back turned towards them. He was studying the crowds with a critical eye, the stalls and shops all full of activity.

"Did something happen, Cavendish-san?" Vivi's concerned face entered his field of vision.

"Kind of." The pirate answered. "I mean, people clad in black walking through the city and no one stops to question it?"

His question was rhetoric, but the blue haired princess answered anyway.

"Maybe something is happening in there that keeps them occupied?" She offered, hands clasping at her back. She moved to stand next to the blond haired man.

Cavendish seemed to consider this, but before he could say anything else, Sanji's shout was heard.

"Vivi- _swan_ ~" The blonde cook twirled until he was in front of her.

"Did you find anything Sanji?" Usopp and Leo stepped closer to the group.

Sanji's face was immediately serious and he spoke as he lighted himself a cigarette.

"Coast is clear as far as the guards are concerned. I saw some military clad people going through the big, fancy golden gate."

"Ah." Leo nodded, smiling. "Seems like we are in luck then, right Cabbage-land?"

The blonde's eye twitched as Vivi and Sanji laughed.

" _Right_."

* * *

Perona watched her two charges and could not help the excited squeal that burst from her when she saw the cute, small animal. With little adjustments here and there, the reindeer would become totally cute.

"Ah~ it's nice to see you again, Perona-san." Brook made a little bow, taking his hat off his head.

The pink haired girl huffed at him, before going back to the soft bundle in her arms. Chopper squirmed, trying to make the phantom girl release him but he didn't have much success, so he conformed himself to wait.

"Everything is clear, Perona'un." A man with a beetle costume entered the small warehouse they were currently in. "Who're you'un?"

Brook made another small bow and smiled, as much as one could without a face.

"I am Brook. My friend there is Chopper. Nice to meet you, yohoho!"

Perona winced at the sheer volume. Chopper lifted a hoof up in greeting.

"Nice to meet you!"

"I am Heracles'un."

"Aright enough dilly dallying. We have a job to do." Perona eyed her team with a critical eye, hand on her hip, the other still holding onto an exasperated reindeer.

* * *

Jinbei watched Zoro and Buggy glare at each other with an amazing amount of hatred. And those two were only two of four people. The fishman was starting to regret the team arrangements. Well, he wasn't sure what had been in Rayleigh's mind at the time, but he could only hope the man's instincts and cunning tendencies had not waned away in time.

Deciding to point the two's attention somewhere else, least he risked something destroyed and their cover blown, Jinbei pointed to the large door behind him.

"This is what we are here for, remember?"

"Yes, I'm not blind. I can see the damn door." Buggy crossed his arms, sighing irritably.

 _What do you know, it worked._

"So what's the plan?" Zoro asked, hands on the hilt of his _katana_. "You sure you don't want me to cut the door open and be on our way?"

"Yes and put all the marines on the island on our backs." The clown scowled at the swordsman. "Only an idiot would suggest such a thing!"

Zoro glared back ferociously. "Well what do you suggest, o'mighty idiot?"

"Our plan," Jinbei interrupted, "is to wait for Law to come. After that, the key will be copied by Mr. 3's wax power and all of us will enter."

"I doubt it'll be a key that can be copied." The blue haired pirate commented. He might have been a Shichibukai for a short time, but he had learned enough about the Holy City.

Jinbei shrugged. "Then we'll be resorting to passing it around. Now stop trying to murder each other and prepare."

* * *

 _3 Days later_

Law stood on the deck of his submarine and watched as Crocodile sunk another Marine ship. From Dressrosa's vessel, Smoker cursed loudly enough to be heard even in Fishman Island.

They had just passed the Calm Belt- after a particularly odd reunion with the G-5 Marine force. They've been going at full speed and didn't even stop to acknowledge them, only continuing to go forward with their white haired Captain shouting at his stupefied subordinates to move it or remain there.

The poor marines did not have any time for questions as they hurriedly directed their vessel on a new course after them. Their surprise- and Tashigi's flabbergasted expression- only increased when five Marine ships from North Blue came after them, shouting at the G-5 to stop them.

Smoker had immediately forgone his pirate attire, much to his dismay surprisingly, and told the militaries from North Blue that he'd take care of them, since that was his territory. But unfortunately for them, those people were either too stupid to realize that they'd be entering the most dangerous ocean, or they simply wanted an exotic vacation and didn't know how to go on about it, so they decided to continue hunting the poor pirates.

Smoker and G-5 had fired some lame shots to not seem like they were taking the pirates' side while subtly making way for Dressrosa's forces and Crocodile to infiltrate the marine vessels and kick their asses. Needless to say, those poor soldiers became a feast for the Sea Kings.

"I can see Den-san!" Rebecca shouted, bending over the railing to get a better look.

Law squinted his eyes and saw that the rose haired woman was speaking the truth. A small, lonely boat was floating on the sea. This was the signal that the shipwright was waiting for them.

The doctor allowed himself a small smirk. Just in time, since Crocodile had just finished blowing the last Marine vessel to bits. Law shouted to his crew to slow down their speed, and the other three ships proceeded in doing the same.

Soon enough, they were floating along with the piece of wood. Den's head sprung from under the water.

"We were waiting for you." He waved his hand and in the next moment, they were surrounded by an army of fishmen.

"Let's get these people to Mariejois boys."

* * *

 _MARIEJOIS_

 _"One day, I will find myself a crew that is as strong as yours! And then I will find the world's biggest treasure! AND BECOME THE KING OF PIRATES!"_

 _"This hat is my gift to you."_

 _"When you become a great pirate in the future you'll return that hat to me."_

The flashing images went by in fast forward in Lucy's mind and the raven head allowed himself to groan as consciousness dragged him back to reality. He rolled on his side, asking himself when his bed got so hard.

Another flash of fresher memories assaulted his overworked mind and the young man's eyes flew immediately open as he tried to stand up, but partially failed. His whole body was trembling and now it ached along with his head.

 _Just what he needed right now._

Lucy allowed himself to study his cell, taking in the bare, concrete floor, walls, ceiling and the iron, thick bars that finished the uninteresting decor of his cage. The prisoner sighed tiredly, not feeling even half in the right mind to deal with this shit right now. It did not help that the voices were louder than ever.

Rubbing his head and praying it'd do any good, Lucy shifted in a better position in one corner of the cubicle and forced himself to _think_ and sort out his jumbling thoughts- that by now he concluded must be memories from his past life.

Which brought him to his current problem: _Who was he in this past life?_

Whatever Ivy had told him must have been complete bullshit, judging by the strange images that colored his retinas every now and then. Those were happy and sad memories, colorful places and people, not the monochrome Mariejois and its equally monochrome inhabitants. Not to mention that anything closely related to one of the white clad Nobles was a particularly violent and strong fist he had indented in one's face. Surprisingly, he didn't regret that image, even if he wasn't sure of the more sketchier details of the whole thing.

 _"Remember, you are a Celestial Dragon master Lucy."_

 _Hell naw man, he was surely not._

Though that felt bad thinking too.

 _What the hell is wrong with me?!_

Lucy's jaw clenched. He didn't like to think. He wanted to get out of there, run and see the blue sea. Yeah, that'd make his day one hundred percent better for sure.

Jet black eyes glared at the metal bars of his cage and the teen almost growled. Those things did not look friendly enough to let him pass.

 _Damn he wanted to be free._

 _"The weak don't get to choose how they die."_

 _He sure as hell won't be going down without a fight._

* * *

The beautiful Holy Capital soaked in the warm rays of the shining sun, its golden tinted roofs glittering like jewels.

On such glittering street, though with noticeably less inhabitants than usual- since most of the citizens chose to keep to the safety of their houses after the alarm at the security center- sprouted suddenly, from behind a red brick wall an equally, if not _redder_ head. Silver tinted eyes went next, glaring around the corner for good measure. Ivy tried to steel herself for another run from one alley to the other as she continued her search for the prison.

The noble had a passing idea where and how to enter it, since she did her homework on something like that a long time ago, though her biggest problem was that she couldn't access the place by walking inside from the front entrance. There had to be another way. The place was under the Marine security group's jurisdiction, so she only had two choices: bring an army or become a real fucking ninja. Though she was inclined to pick the latter, the red head had no idea _where_ to break in from.

"Ivy-chan, are you sure this is the right way?"

 _Right._

 _This_ was actually her biggest problem right now. The blonde haired kid that was standing behind her, his sky blue eyes darting between the deserted street and her white clad form.

"Can you even _run_ in that robe?"

"Ugh, could you shut up!" Her words had the effect intended. But not for long.

"Are you sure Lucy was even brought there?"

Ivy turned on her heel abruptly, facing Kiiro with a livid expression. "Yes and now shut the hell up! We need to get there fast and you are holding me back!"

The blonde looked even more offended, something that served to downgrade her mood further.

"I'm just trying to be realistic here! Shouldn't we be kidnapping someone and making them a hostage or something? And then we trade them for Lucy."

The noble blinked at the stupid plan that the kid spouted. In what kind of reality would that work wasn't even on her list of brooding subjects right now. Heaving a long suffering sigh, she gripped his hand suddenly and forcefully dragged him from their hideout and out in the open.

Kiiro opened his mouth to protest, but Ivy beat him to it. "Look, you begged to come with me in the first place. _At least_ try to not be a deadweight, you go-"

The feeling of colliding with someone cut her off and threw her off balance, but she managed to save herself from falling in time. Looking up, her white gaze locked on apologizing black ones. A flash of pink made her take a step back.

Ivy eyed their uniforms warily and her hand tightened around Kiiro's.

Coby watched her with a light of recognition, but it was Koala who broke the silence.

"Not here. Let's speak somewhere where the whole town can't see us." She made to turn around and run for the alleys when she saw the distrust in Ivy's eyes.

"You want to save Luffy too, right?"

The tense muscles that were ready for a run or die situation relaxed slightly and the red head exhaled in relief.

"Yeah."

The trio in marine uniforms nodded and hurried to the shadows, Ivy and a dragged Kiiro on their heels.

"Wait, who's Luffy?"

* * *

"What! Are you serious?!" The blonde haired boy exclaimed, his hands in his hair. "Why didn't you tell me, or better, him!"

Ivy sighed when she saw the three marines shoot her the same look. A grimace slowly made her way on her face.

"Though I don't owe you any explanation, know that I only did that for a good reason."

"That being...?" The guy that introduced himself as Helmeppo asked, a dubious expression passing over his face.

"What were the chances of even meeting these two?" Coby muttered to himself, throwing Koala a questioning look.

The blonde woman shrugged, helpless on this one.

"Must be that impossible streak of luck that's been following us since we received the mission." The pink haired soldier mumbled again, his hand stroking his chin in deep thought.

"There's no time to consider the Fates!" Ivy exclaimed, her mind reeling with everything that might have been done to Lucy in the three days she's lost running around town. "We have to go there and save him. Who knows what they might've done to him by now!"

Helmeppo groaned and Koala threw her a sour smile. Her hand went in her jacket and Ivy's insides turned to ice when she took out a newspaper. It had a date from three days ago.

 _ **STRAWHAT LUFFY'S EXECUTION TO COMMENCE IN FOUR DAYS**_

Kiiro looked at the faces of the adults around him and almost laughed. He understood the gravity of the situation very well, but he could not help the childish side of him that wanted to point and make fun of them.

"Is this the part where you say fuck?"

* * *

"So this is the prison huh." Kiiro's innocent gaze looked at the glum building, wondering how was inside.

"From what we've hacked from the servers, the most dangerous prisoners are kept at minus six."

"Underground." Helmeppo growled, clearly not happy with this. "And under the wall too."

Ivy nodded, her thoughts on the same route. She took in the towering wall that held the Marine security base and its small building that she knew was only a makeshift for the real deal under the ground.

The prison was located in the north-west part of the city, at half the distance between two emergency exits. The structure was placed in a partially uninhabited neighborhood, obviously meant to increase and provide better security, but it also meant that there were a lot of hiding places. Like the one they were currently in, on a deserted rooftop.

"So what's the plan, Cap'?" The blonde haired man asked casually.

Coby cringed. He knew it was coming. The marine had been thinking about that since they left the Security Quarters, leaving uproar in their wake.

"There's no plan. We need to find a side entrance." Ivy interrupted, her eyes wide and wild. She _had to find it._

"Are you crazy? It's obvious there's no entrance."

The red head shot Helmeppo a dirty look. The bastard was not helping.

As if to prove his point, the Captain-Lieutenant pointed to the building, making his comrades scold him for trying to break their cover.

"There's no freaking entrance in that cave!" The blonde man's shout was muffled by Koala and Coby's 'friendly' treatment.

"Then how do you propose we get in there?!" Ivy screeched, though a small hand slapped over her mouth deflected most of the sound.

"That's what I was trying to tell you." Coby rasped, still trying to stop his friend from exploding. "Just hear me out..."

* * *

Turned out that Ivy did manage to get an army.

 _An army of clueless onlookers, that's what._

As she watched the commotion slowly unfolding in front of her, the red head had to hand it to that Coby guy. He had made one hell of a plan.

After first hearing it, they've deemed it too risky, but it seemed Koala knew how to gather a crowd. And along with Coby's charm, the two managed to convince the fifty or so people that had been snatched out from the street, or their homes, that it was an emergency exercise they were holding. All they had to do was invade the small, grey building and keep the guards occupied.

The pink haired marine explained that it was a training of some kind for the militaries that worked there and Koala had added the cherry on top- so that they'd be protected better, the guards had to learn how to operate in such situations and deal with crowds.

Of course, mostly no one in that crowd understood even half of what they had said, but the words _protection_ , _emergency_ and _citizens_ had been enough.

It all started with Kiiro, acting like a little lost kid and crying his lungs out at the door of the building. As expected, two guards came outside to see what the problem was and as soon as the doors were open, the horde of people barged in without a moment's notice.

Using some clothes they've snatched from a couple of poor, but only theoretically, Nobles, the quartet went after Kiiro inside, slipping past- hopefully- unnoticed by the guards. The path to minus six only lasted about ten minutes, since they took the lift.

On said level, they encountered a couple more guards that were disabled by each of the people in the group. The three marines looked at Ivy in surprise and Ivy looked right back at them with the same expression.

"Guys, I think I found him!" Kiiro's happy shout made them all snap out of it.

"How did you slip by?" Koala asked the boy when they were close enough to see him through the darkness.

The blonde kid dangled the keys to the cells playfully in front of his face as he laughed. "You're not the only ones that can use tricks."

The revolutionary looked impressed.

"Where is he?" Coby asked, trepidation running through him.

Kiiro's gave them a lopsided grin. "Follow me."

* * *

 _"People's dreams never end!"_

Lucy's head snapped up when his ears distinguished the sound of footsteps breaking the stillness that had been slowly suffocating him.

His hope doubled when he heard a childish giggle and his eyes widened when he saw Kiiro. He shouldn't have been there, that blasted prison was not a place for a kid.

Jet black eyes watched the marine trio step closer to his cage, their faces blank, except the pink head and his warm smile. Ivy was the last to step out of the darkness and Lucy was on her almost immediately.

"Ivy are you alright? Your dad said you were hunted too. How did you get in here?"

The red head pursed her lips, hands going to her hips. "You ask all that and yet you're the guy on death row."

Her comment was intended to be sarcastic, but to Lucy it sounded like a death penalty, pun intended. He had been half expecting it, to be honest.

"When's the execution then?" He couldn't help but ask.

The pink dude, Coby probably, chocked. The blonde woman next to him shook her head and reached inside her jacket.

"There's no execution idiot. We're getting you out of here." The other blonde soldier commented dryly.

Ivy crouched down to his eye level. "Listen to me Luffy."

"Ah, so my name's Luffy after all."

White eyes blinked and she cursed inwardly at the slip up.

Lucy didn't look too concerned. "I've been thinking it might be, since they called me that." His eyes pointed to the marines behind them. He did not mention that the voices inside his head sometimes did, too. He was sure that wasn't healthy.

The red head rid herself of that information and pushed on forward. "Listen." She repeated, making sure his attention was concentrated on her. "I have to tell you why you are here."

"Here in prison or-"

A hand went between the bars and hit him on the head. It did not hurt as much as it used to.

"Whatever you idiot! _Listen_ ," Ivy glared at him and sighed. "The Gorosei had decided six months ago that you and your pirate crew are to be disposed of at once. They've been preparing an army and all that stuff for a while, when I accidentally stumbled upon their plans, almost four months ago. _Usually_ , I wouldn't have cared but..." silver tinted eyes locked with black and she said in all seriousness, "I've been reading all kinds of things about the Strawhat Pirates and about you... I wanted to know."

"What?" Lucy's voice was laced with curiosity.

Ivy's lips tightened. "I wanted you to teach me about freedom. Plus, it was the only way to get you out of the Gorosei's grasp even for a little while." She added hurriedly.

"And you had to send the other Strawhats to Impel Down?" Coby's eyebrows were near his hairline and his face incredulous. On his sides, Koala and Helmeppo displayed various degrees of the same expression.

Ivy turned her head a little in their direction. "Have they been executed, or even put on death row until now? Impel Down was the best place to keep them in relative safety. Even the Gorosei couldn't touch them there."

This took Coby by complete surprise. He did not think about that. However twisted, the red head's motives were sound.

"Of course, they did not let your memory stay because of obvious reasons." Ivy continued. "They've been extorting information out of you, but thankfully you are more clueless than the newspapers make you out to be. So I created that whole story with the fiancé and... some other things," white eyes slid away from his confused gaze to the wall behind him, "because I had hoped to be able to keep you here a little longer and search for a safer plan of breaking out of the city, since the Five Stars don't just throw their plans out of the window. But it didn't work."

The young woman finished, eyes downcast.

Lucy smiled and grabbed her hand. He almost laughed at her shocked face.

"Did you find out what you wanted?" He couldn't help but grin. Her words didn't make much sense to him, what with all the plans and old men there, but he knew for a fact that she was telling the truth. And he'd trust his friend, whatever reasons she would have told him.

Ivy's eyes shined with relief. "Almost." She mirrored his grin. "I am coming with you to the world outside."

Suddenly Kiiro's head was in between them. "Yeah, me too Lucy!"

The raven head opened his mouth to argue, but the blonde kid beat him to it.

"I wanna see this freedom too! I've been kept in here for as long as I can remember." His lower lip stuck out in a cute manner and Lucy couldn't find it in him to say no.

Koala stepped forward, a syringe with a green phosphorescent liquid in her hand. "It's time to stop forgetting Luffy-kun."

Lucy grinned up at her. " _Forgetting is like a wound_ , right?"

The last thing he saw was Koala's wide smile.

* * *

"This is our cue. Let's get out of here." Coby nodded to the patiently awaiting elevator.

Ivy's heart almost stopped.

"What are you talking about?! We have to save him!" Her shout echoed on the damp walls.

The pink haired soldier stopped and turned to her.

"We will, tomorrow."

The red head was almost hysteric. "But tomorrow's the execution, what are you-"

"Yeah, and tomorrow's the last day of the time limit Dark King Rayleigh gave us." Helmeppo crossed his arms, not missing the sudden jolt of the younger woman.

 _Dark King Rayleigh?!_

"They will be breaking in tomorrow. We will save him when they get him out of here for the execution." Coby explained patiently, not minding the shouts of the approaching guards.

"Besides, that serum's action is pretty strong. He will be out for some time and it'd be no use in dragging him around. We have no exit right now. We'll have to wait."

Ivy willed herself to calm down enough to consider his words and at last, she nodded hesitantly. Throwing a last look at the unmoving form of the pirate, she followed the marines out, Kiiro grasped firmly in her right hand.

* * *

 _The next day_

Zoro glared at the sun rising, his mind anywhere but on the beautiful picture.

He hadn't slept again. Not since four months ago. The swordsman had abandoned all hope since that fateful day. He had been sure he did not imagine AkaInu killing Luffy.

 _So how?_

Even with all of Robin's simple explanations, Nami's beating of his person and the bastard cook's degrading words at his address, Zoro still couldn't wrap his head around it. He just hoped that when he'll see Luffy, everything would be solved, at least inside his mind.

"If you are watching out for Torao and the others, you are in the wrong spot."

Zoro almost growled at the voice, but he settled for a scowl and furrowed eyebrows.

"What are you doing here." His statement made the dark haired woman behind him laugh.

"It was either me, Chopper or Sanji-kun. I doubt you'd like our chef to inspire you so early in the morning." Robin explained, her mouth still upturned in a smile.

Zoro held back a grimace. "I would have preferred Chopper."

"I am hurt." Despite her words, the tone was still teasing and it _irritated_ him.

"What are you even doing _here_?" The swordsman nodded at the small hill that oversaw the ocean. It was on the north-west part of the city, one of the few places for docking ships and where the vast waters of the New World could be seen.

Zoro paused as a conversation from last night came back to him. He had been totally confused when Jinbei clarified that what they were seeing was the New World's ocean.

 _"Then why the hell isn't Torao coming from this side?!"_

 _"Because it would be too risky. The only place to dock here is swarming with Marines ready to eliminate all threats. That's why they took the safest route from south-west."_

"This is too time consuming." The swordsman spoke again. He absently realized that Robin didn't answer him.

"I understand how you feel." Her words were whispered, but he still heard them. She was looking at the fiery orange sunrise attentively, though her eyes strayed to his form after a couple of minutes.

"I am here to take the copy of the key. But I came too early, it seems."

"We're gonna rescue him." The words felt a little incredible even to him.

"Yes, we will." Robin's smile did ease him a little bit.

"Zoro, Robin, they are here!" Chopper's joyous voice made the two look in his direction and saw the reindeer running along with Mr.3 and Franky to the cliffs a couple of meters away from their spot.

The reindeer immediately grabbed her hand and proceeded in dragging her away, Zoro following them a little hesitantly. The group stopped, after fifteen minutes of walking through the early morning city, on another hill overlooking the Grand Line's waters.

Squinting her eyes, Robin discerned two large ships approaching. She was sure Torao's submarine was somewhere between them. Or probably in front of them.

They did not have to wait long. As the sun was just above the line of the horizon, the three vessels closed in on the shore, their decks swarming with activity in preparing to dock.

Law used his _Room_ to teleport himself on solid ground. Crocodile and Smoker followed along using their Devil Fruit powers.

The doctor did not even place a whole foot on the ground before the Strawhats were on him.

"Where's the key?" The small reindeer jumped up and down, obviously at the limit of his anxiousness. Franky and Robin looked on silently, but just as nervous.

"You better have it, Torao." Contrary to his crewmates, Roronoa Zoro was at the limit of his patience. His growl was enough to piss off Law.

"Yeah." The older pirate searched for the bespectacled man that was supposed to replicate the damn object and found him in less than ten seconds.

Closing the distance between them in two large steps, Law thrust the golden key in Mr. 3's hands.

"Good luck."

The man looked at the key and then back at him with something akin to fear and a silent plead of help almost erupted from him, but he was alone on this one, Law concluded.

Turning on his heels, he looked at the green haired swordsman that the doctor had always considered- until two months ago- the most level headed one in all the crew. It seemed that Strawhat-ya's absence unbalanced all of his friends. The most obvious was Zoro. Law could only hope he'd return to normal after today.

"Which team am I on?"

* * *

 **A/N: Dun dun dun  
**

 **Hi there! :D**

 **I'm bringing you the next chapter from deep between the mountains o3o**

 **... while stealing wi-fi from my cousin (I told you I'm not joking)**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^^**

 **From my amazing (notice the sarcasm) calculations, the next chapter might be on Christmas day or earlier (depends when I have time) ... Christmas chappie! OwO**

 **Reviews and Feedback are appreciated! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

RESCUE

* * *

"The key has been copied successfully, though it took our precious Mr. 3 some time to construct its perfect replica." Ivankov's voice was heard over the Den Den Mushi.

Rayleigh smiled. These people were more capable than he had thought at first. The former pirate was truly impressed.

"I'm happy to hear that. Prepare for the break in."

There was shuffling on the other side of the call. Before long, a younger voice that the grey haired man identified as the revolutionary Chief of Staff asked.

"How are we supposed to meet Koala and the others in there, Rayleigh-san?"

If the blonde could have seen the older man's face, he'd sigh in defeat. Clearing his throat, Rayleigh tried to reason with the temperamental- _especially_ when it came to his brother and friends- man.

"I am not sure. They have not informed us where the prison is, but Dragon did give me a hint. Inform the others of this too. Head north-west no matter what door you're at. You'll just have to somehow meet around there somewhere."

The small snail did not look too convinced but nodded and hung up.

Rayleigh sighed, his fingers typing in another number.

* * *

"We are breaking in!" Jinbei declared ceremoniously.

Smoker tugged at his black cap and the muddy brown hood over it. He checked his disguise again, doing a once over in case anything that might reveal his identity was still visible. His revenge was risky, but the marine really wanted to fill in his 'superiors' on his thoughts about many things. And what better way to do that than to ally with pirates and help them break into the Holy Capital.

 _Today is a good day._

Next to him, Law was thinking along those lines, though he was mostly preparing to deal some fucking good damage to some unlucky buildings too. And probably some more people and other politically important buildings.

Did he mention politically influential people? He didn't have a clue who they were, but the pirate won't discriminate. Whatever the case, those Nobles deserved it.

Zoro definitely agreed with Law. But Luffy's rescue came first. After that, Mariejois will be cut in half. No joke.

Buggy watched the three idiots plan their stupid, sadistic plans and he could not help the feeling of being left out. Though that did not last long.

Hopefully, no one will discover his identity and he'd retain his title of Shichibukai. The clown cursed Rayleigh and that red haired bastard for the nth time in the last few minutes. Never again would he allow himself to be manhandled by them.

 _Or anyone!_

* * *

Perona twirled the wax key in her hands, watching her team absently. They were a door down from Jinbei's, so they'd surely see some action.

 _Such a bother._

Rebecca smiled at the ghost girl politely. She did not have such a bad character after you got to know her better. Though the princess had been disappointed that she wasn't in a team with her fellow princess, Vivi, the rose haired woman had no reason to protest. Luffy's safety came first. Her hand tightened around her sword reflexively and her eyes lifted to gaze at Brook-san and Chopper. They were two of the three Strawhats she hadn't met and despite their appearances, they were very nice people.

Brook was patiently tuning his violin while Chopper fidgeted around him, trying in vain to stifle his nerves.

Rebecca giggled.

 _Everyone is anxious to see you again, Luffy._

* * *

" _Super_!"

Ideo and Sai watched the cyborg strike his 'warming up' pose, as the man himself had named it, and promptly shook their heads. The guy had the energy of a thousand suns.

 _Seriously now_.

Nami smiled at the trio before her light brown eyes slid towards Hancock. The Empress tapped her foot impatiently on the ground, her glare threatening to melt the third door down from Jinbei's into a puddle of useless metal.

The orange head held back a grimace when she saw the poor key almost broken in half and a crying bespectacled man entered her mind. The image was horrifying from many points of view, and she resolved to make it disappear as fast as possible.

"Hancock-san, would you like me to hold the key?"

"No." Raven locks of hair whipped in the other direction as the Shichibukai turned her head towards her.

Nami sighed, already expecting the answer. Hancock seemed to think the same.

"Why ask such stupid question if you know the answer already?"

For the first time since she's met the Pirate Empress, Nami allowed herself to scowl.

" _Because you are breaking it_!"

* * *

"I'm so happy that I'll get to see Luffy-senpai again!" Bartolomeo twirled in place, looking like the fanboy he really was.

Sabo shook his head. After spending so much time with the man- and some _certain_ others- he would never complain about Koala and the other revolutionaries ever again. This was a refreshing start for everyone, not only Luffy.

Speaking of his precious little brother, the fire user was certain he won't be leaving the teen's close proximity for the next couple of weeks- or years. Depends on what would happen after they will kick that door open- only metaphorically of course. The key in Mr. 3's hand was the real key- no pun intended- to the whole operation.

"Don't worry, Sa-boy." Ivankov patted the younger man on the shoulder sympathetically. "I will give Dragon your regards and fabricate a good excuse."

The blonde smiled at his senior. "That'd be really helpful. Thanks."

"There's no problem!" The purple haired man laughed that strange laugh of his. "What do you think of: he is trying to keep his little brother from drowning himself."

"I think that will raise some questions, Ivankov-san..."

* * *

"Why do I have to be in a team with these idiots?" Crocodile exhaled smoke as his eyes watched the three other people in his team critically.

Usopp, Sanji and Vivi glared at the man heatedly, none of them having forgotten the events in Alabasta.

"That's what I am asking myself right at this moment." The princess replied, her eyes narrowed on the man that had almost destroyed her country. She was trying very hard to contain her anger, but the constant twitching of her hand to grab the nearest sharp object and drive it through his sandy head was becoming too tempting. She had tried to keep her mind occupied ever since she's heard that she'll be in a team with the man, but having Crocodile stand in front of her now awakened her darkest nightmares from long ago, buried deep within her.

" _Because_ ," Cavendish drawled, watching the trio try to burn the former convict to ashes with their glares alone. "Rayleigh said it."

The blonde haired pirate wasn't sure what had happened between them in the past, but they'd sure as hell won't be screwing up this mission because of that. He'd make sure of it.

Sanji snorted. _As if that'd solve anything._ How Luffy managed to make this guy help him back in Impel Down more than two years ago was beyond him.

Usopp shook his head, thinking along those lines too. He couldn't wrap his head around such an impossible feat.

Unlike her companions, Vivi only continued to glare at the sand man.

"Everyone!" Leo's voice broke the tension around the group. "Sabo-land talked to Rayleigh. He said to head north-west."

Cavendish nodded and made to speak but those four were back to their dirty looks war. Eye twitching in irritation, the blonde leader looked down at the key in his hand and counted down the seconds before he'd be free of these idiots.

* * *

 _Purupurupuru-_ katcha

"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki."

" _Sir!_ " A breathless voice sounded from the other side of the line. " _I am part of the team sent to monitor the pirates' moves._ "

Sakazuki perched up at this. He was waiting for this call.

"Well? State your report." He urged. A small gut feeling was telling him that whatever he will hear won't be nice.

" _Sir, the Red Haired Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates have been approaching Mariejois for the last few days and are now... unnervingly close to the shore_." The soldier on the other line spoke with clear uncertainty in his tone.

The Devil Fruit user considered his words carefully.

" _There's also another problem, sir._ " The man was even more agitated.

Lifting an eyebrow in surprise, the marine gave him permission to continue.

" _Actually, there have been reports of suspicious looking people dressed in black cloaks that have been sighted on the outskirts of the Holy City in the last few days. There are people suspected of piracy among them_."

 _I fucking knew it._

The Fleet Admiral had to restrain himself from growling out loud and melting away his desk. The people in charge of cleaning the Headquarters were not going to be happy if he messed up his office again.

Going back to the problem at hand, the Devil Fruit user could give himself a pat on the back for his forethought. He knew they'd do such a thing again. By now, Sakazuki pretty much figured out what Red Haired Shanks was planning, but he was surprised he managed to drag the ever careful captain of the Whitebeard pirates out in the open like that. Not to mention that the upper echelon of the Revolutionary Army was involved. The man would not put it past Dragon, though he was surprised, considering the lack of reaction and appearance from the man himself. It seems the father is keeping his distance and Sakazuki could not be more thankful. The last thing he'd need is Monkey D. Dragon and Strawhat Luffy together in the same room.

 _That'd be the day humanity will receive a grim reminder._

" _Sir?_ " The man on the other line snapped him out of his thoughts. The lava man had forgotten he was still speaking on the phone. " _Your orders?_ "

Considering possibilities on fast forward, Sakazuki stood up from his chair, preparing to exit the room.

"Keep close to them, but don't attack. I'm coming."

But first, he had to make a quick phone call.

* * *

" _What is it Sakazuki?_ "

The man's eye twitched at the show of utter impoliteness. That old bastard.

"I want to speak with Captain Coby and Captain-Lieutenant Helmeppo."

There was movement on the other line before Garp spoke again.

" _They are currently resting in their quarters. Why do you want to speak with them?_ "

"That's none of your business, Vice Admiral."

The Fleet Admiral tried... but it didn't work, _obviously_.

Garp's obnoxious laugh erupted from the small snail. " _Fine, then you're not gonna speak to them. I'm the guy in charge here._ "

Successfully keeping himself from lashing out at the man, Sakazuki continued.

"I've sent them on a mission approximately a month ago. Yesterday was the day they should have left for the Headquarters. I only want to ask how the mission went."

" _Is there something wrong happening in Mariejois?_ " Garp asked with all the feigned innocence someone speaking on the phone, _miles_ away from his interlocutor could muster. It irritated his superior even more, especially when Sakazuki knew that Garp _knew_ he was irritated.

"No, but-"

" _Then there's no hurry!_ " The older man exclaimed good-naturedly from the other side of the line. " _I'll tell them you called when they wake up._ "

With that, the line went dead and the Fleet Admiral stomped away in all his glory.

* * *

 _A couple of miles away from Mariejois_

Garp exhaled the tension running through him. In all his years of serving under the banner of justice, he'd had to lie to his superiors a lot of times. It didn't matter to him whether he'd lie one more time or not. The problem was that Sakazuki was just too perceptive for his own good. Thankfully, the older man managed to trick him- as much as you could trick that lava bastard- into thinking Coby and Helmeppo were back and everything was normal.

 _Not quite_ , Garp thought, eyeing the whale shaped ship and the flying Jolly Roger of the Red Haired Pirates. He had said all those months ago that he'd be damned if he'd let pirates save his precious grandson, but after a couple of useless attempts, he had resigned himself. Garp had felt the world turn without him as he heard of his subordinate's feats and the events in the newspaper.

All kinds of pirates and marines were struggling to get Luffy out of there. _Even Dragon was doing something about it._

The Vice Admiral had sighed in defeat at the time and he'd sigh again now. Luffy was a pirate, and he will trust his friends and allow him to be saved by his fellow pirates.

The only thing he could do now was try and help a little bit, even if it meant just spitting out a shitty lie.

* * *

"It's time." The fishman's words sent a wave of trepidation through Zoro.

The swordsman watched Jinbei put the key in the designated keyhole and twist. With a heavy, rock on rock screech, the obstacle began to move inwards. Surprisingly, instead of the city they were all expecting to see, a stone passage opened up. It did not look to be used often, judging by its ruined state, but that just meant they were in luck. No one will bother them.

Unsheathing his three _katana_ , the green haired man stepped inside after Jinbei and Law, with Smoker guarding the rear.

* * *

Hancock watched the deserted, spotless street with narrowed eyes. No one seemed to be loitering around and that was even stranger.

Next to her, Nami had the same expression, her light brown eyes searching for any kind of trap, but finding none.

Ideo cracked his knuckles, obviously itching to destroy something already. Next to him, Sai was leaning over the corner, trying to spot Marines, cameras, _anything_ or anyone that the girls overlooked.

The sound of heavy footsteps followed a loudly spoken declaration and the four hiding people froze when they saw Franky in the middle of the street, doing his trademark pose.

The shout of _SUPER_ was doubled by the alarms from the surveillance Den Den Mushi starting.

* * *

Cavendish looked through the window of the nearest house. His sky blue eyes locked on the green ones of the little boy staring at them from the other side of the window.

Sitting on his black hat, Leo waved at the kid and he waved back, a little smile on his face. He opened the window, whispering loudly at them.

"Who are you? What are you doing there?"

"We want to save our friend." Vivi smiled sweetly at the little boy. He looked so innocent and he was dressed in normal clothes too!

The green eyed boy's mouth made an 'o' shape as he processed her words.

"You should not be walking outside. They say that bad people are going to break in." His concerned tone was even cute and the alabastian princess almost squealed, which in turn, made Sanji's eyes transform into hearts and start to dance like a noodle around her.

"Don't worry, captain Usopp is with them kid." The Strawhats' sniper proudly declared, jabbing a thumb at his chest. "I have over eight thousand followers waiting just behind me."

The kid's jaw was hanging open at the absurdly high number. His wide eyes looked at the six pirates in wonder and excitement.

" _Eeehh_ , really?!"

Usopp grinned, puffing his chest. His companions were all concentrated on the kid, so none of them had any time to react when sand appeared in front of them, forming Crocodile's body. The man snatched the kid from his spot at the window and promptly slammed the glass back closed.

The poor child did not have time to argue as he was flung at the pirates' feet.

"What are you _doing_?!" The blue haired princess bent down to help the younger stand up.

The others had also ganged up on the former War Lord and the man could only roll his eyes at the display. They were pirates _for fucks' sake._

"The hell do you think you're doing Crocodile?" Sanji scowled at the man's casual ways of fucking everything up. "Oi, don't ignore us you bastard!"

"Shut up, we need a hostage for this to work." The black haired man mumbled, clearly not in the mood for being pissed off.

"They are gonna sound the big alarms guys! We have to get moving!" Usopp exclaimed, his fingers tugging at his hair.

Cavendish and Leo watched with ever growing fascination the circus slowly building in front of them. Though the adults were shitting themselves, the little boy- still sitting on the ground- was a figure of calm and he looked almost Zen about it.

 _Kids these days._

The blonde haired man looked to the window again and saw a horror struck woman with her mouth hanging open watching them. Cavendish supposed she might be having a heart attack, but he was no doctor. Leo waved at her happily. Unfortunately, that was enough to snap the woman out of it and even though the window was closed, her scream was loud enough to wake up the whole neighborhood.

As if awakened by the sound, blaring alarms started all around them.

"Well fuck!"

* * *

Sabo looked around, his Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army side taking over him for a second. His keen eyes memorized every bit of the conglomerate of concrete and metal as he could, every little shining detail mattered. Maybe Dragon-san will be more lenient that way. The fire user almost snorted at his own stupid thought.

He hurried on stealthily after Mr. 3 and Robin, as the group of five made their way deeper inside the city in the north-west direction, as indicated by his superior. The blonde was not sure how he'd find Luffy or the others, but he hoped that the insane luck they've been having until now would hold up.

"Robin-chan, concentrate and see where we should go. We'll be watching your back." Ivankov ordered, slapping himself to the wall of a building. Mr. 3 and Sabo sweat dropped, obviously finding the choice of hiding place absurd. There were Den Den Mushi everywhere, though it was strange that no alarm was sounded yet. Even with all their ninja techniques, most courtesy of Ivankov himself, they surely haven't been evading _all_ those cameras.

The black haired woman nodded and crossed her arms, concentrating on her task. The search proved only a little fruitful.

"There is a commotion to the north."

The Okama nodded at her words and turned to face the group.

"We will be heading there. Our mission is to find Lu-boy! Don't forget that!" The purple haired Okama declared, fist clenching in a dramatic way.

"Luffy-senpai we are coming!" Bartolomeo shouted alongside Ivankov, hands in the air and running forward, disregarding every thought of stealth and secrecy.

"Wait you idiot, there might be-" The wax man began, but it was too late.

Sabo, Robin and Mr. 3 watched as Bartolomeo and Ivankov continued running ahead of them, flailing their arms for different reasons and making a big commotion in general.

The alarms did not take long to begin blaring and the two remaining men cursed, while Robin laughed. What was so amusing, they weren't sure. But one fact still remained:

 _They had been some fucking ninjas until that moment._

* * *

"What is happening?" Rebecca's tone was urgent, her rose eyes wide and searching every side street they passed.

"Yohoho, it seems they discovered us already!" Brook's faceless skull looked amused if anything. The princess could not share the feeling unfortunately.

"There's no time to consider this'un! We have to run!" Heracles huffed as he hurried on after Chopper.

The reindeer had transformed in his Walk Point and was now running ahead of them in search for the place where his captain could be. A prison, anything!

"I think I found him!" Perona shouted above them, descending slowly to the ground.

The quartet stopped, throwing her questioning looks. Somehow, their unmoving forms made her mad.

"What the hell are you standing there for?! We have to hurry, you morons!"

* * *

"This is like fucking Impel Down all over again! What the fuck is wrong with you people?!" Buggy's shouts filled with despair and something akin to anger were barely heard above the annoying sounds of the snails.

Law could only agree, but he rolled his eyes anyway. It was fun riling up the clown. He looked up at the empty prison building and shook his head. They had discovered it pretty fast, but the guards still remaining had refused to tell them anything more than that Strawhat-ya had been already moved for the execution. Their problems increased tenfold when Smoker and Zoro disappeared without any of them noticing and the doctor still cursed himself for that.

He had known that the swordsman was useless with directions and his handicap was even more of a problem when the guy literally bounced around and left whenever he goddamn wanted. Law growled, hand tightening around the hilt of his sword.

Buggy took a step back when he saw the murderous look but then his attention was drawn to something on a random side street.

At that moment, Jinbei walked out of the prison, arms crossed and sighed.

"No luck. We press onward. If Dragon told us to go north-west then we'll keep north but going towards the east. There's a probability we'll find something there."

Law nodded and made to turn around and start walking already, but just then Buggy gave a shout and started running hurriedly towards them.

Both men raised an eyebrow at the strange display, but before any of them could at least make fun of the clown, two figures burst from around the corner of the alley and were onto the poor clown.

Their black cloaks did not help their case, but Law and Jinbei were trained fighters and immediately jumped into action. Surprisingly, they arrived at a stalemate with the strangers. The two displayed quite some skill and it made the fishman even more aware of the dangers that could hide in this city.

None from the present trio were prepared for what they saw next. One of them pulled the hood back hastily, revealing blonde hair covered by a dark red cap.

Koala's round eyes shined in delight and she squealed as she threw herself on Jinbei's surprised form.

"It's so nice to see you again, Jinbei-san!"

Law faced the blue skinned man and could say only one thing. "What the fuck man?"

Jinbei finally seemed to regain his senses and he hugged the woman back tightly before letting her go.

"I didn't know it would be so easy to find you." The fishman confessed, throwing a still trembling Buggy a praising look.

The clown tried his best to appear unaffected by the earlier scare.

"Ah, so you are Jinbei-san. It's nice to meet you. The others too." The other cloaked figure spoke politely.

The three pirates faced the pink haired man smiling at them. Jinbei smiled back, though his guard was up. If the man's visible uniform part was saying something, he was certainly a Marine. Law's eyes were narrowed on poor Coby while Buggy tried his best to conceal his identity.

Just what he needed! The Marines coming here and reporting him for invading the Holy Capital.

 _Just fucking great!_

Notice the sarcasm.

The pink haired man did not seem to mind the glares and distrustful looks thrown at him. He turned on his heels, motioning with his head towards the alleyway.

"Follow me. The others are there. We were waiting for you."

"There are others?" Buggy chocked.

"Waiting for what?" Law couldn't help but ask.

"To lead you to the execution place, of course." Koala grinned, taking Jinbei's hand and dragging him with surprising force.

* * *

Zoro watched another line of buildings be reduced to dust while the alarms blasted their infernal music all around them.

 _Damn, Smoker was really packing some years of misery right there._

" _Whop_ , there goes another one." The swordsman commented mostly to entertain himself as he casually stood on the other side of the street, arms crossed, eye dancing amusedly on the mess the _Marine_ had made.

If they were blamed for this, he'd make sure to make a few defensive arguments, beginning with Smoker and finishing with the disguised man in front of him. Now he knew why Tashigi was always babysitting the man.

"Didn't know my captain means so much to you." Zoro grinned when he saw the other man stiffen for a second before he turned to face him and scoffed.

Smoker exhaled the smoke from his cigars before fully turning to give the pirate behind him a good lashing for his stupid thought.

"Look kid," the white haired man began, gesturing with one of his cigars to him and then to the destroyed city around them, "I don't want you to make any nice ideas about me. Whether I like it or not, I owe Strawhat and your crew a lot."

The swordsman opened his mouth to comment that whatever he did at Impel Down would have been enough, but Smoker did not let him consume any more oxygen.

"Besides, I've got my own reasons for doing this." He turned around to continue his demolition. "Strawhat didn't deserve it, no matter how much those fossils insist on it. People are not objects to be thrown around randomly."

The last part of his statement would have went unheard if not for Zoro's keen hearing. He allowed himself to smirk as he continued to watch the soldier.

Whatever those guys said, the man wasn't as bad as he looked.

"Let's get going. We have to find Luffy."

* * *

 _At the same time of the invasion_

"Cap'." Ben looked at the man and allowed himself to shake his head. He was too relaxed for his own good sometimes.

Shanks hummed, signaling him to continue.

"Our lookout spotted approaching Marine warships."

The news weren't enough to surprise the Yonko. Heaving a large sigh, he stood up, moving towards the railing of his ship.

 _"If you still want to stay around and help Luffy, then make sure nothing stops that invasion."_

"That old man sure knows how to use words." The red haired man muttered to himself, watching the black spots in the distance grow steadily.

 _"I'll be counting on you to bring them to the New World. From there on, it's their choice."_

A small smirk crossed his face and Shanks yanked the small telescope from Yasopp's hands. His friend threw him a look, but decided to not start a fight this time.

After a couple of minutes, the livid face- _on a good day!_ \- of the Fleet Admiral was visible enough for Shanks to make fun of him.

"Prepare for fighting. No one gets past our wonderful ship, boys." The captain's orders were echoed by cheers from his subordinates.

Shanks turned his head towards the whale shaped ship and grinned when he saw Marco's disapproving stare fixed on him.

"Don't look at me like that, Marco. I'm not encouraging violence." The red head lifted his hand in the air in a sign of surrender.

The blonde chuckled. "Everyone to their stations. Don't let them get to Strawhat Luffy."

"Aye!"

* * *

"Move, Red Hair."

Shanks twitched and he used all the willpower he could muster to abstain from rolling on the floor when he heard the rasped, anger filled tone and saw the man's scrunched up face. The guy looked to be on one of his bad days.

 _Such a shame._

"Unfortunately, I cannot. We have found a wonderful spot for fishing. I was just about to drop pirating in favor of becoming a fisherman." Shanks grinned when the lava man looked even more aggravated.

Several members of his crew snickered and he saw Ben roll his eyes in his peripheral vision.

"Two of the most powerful pirate crews decided to become fishermen? That sounds too stupid for me to even begin considering."

Marco's snort was audible even from his spot on the other ship.

"We wouldn't want to inconvenience you." The blonde began, clearly not sorry. "But no one gets across this line."

The Fleet Admiral glared at both captains.

" _Aw_ , Marco! Why do you have to destroy every chance of having fun? You and Benny should form a club."

Ben crossed his arms and flashed his captain a teasing grin. "At least I have someone to form a club with, cap'."

Marco's smirk was almost palpable.

Shanks grimaced.

"Touché."

The sound of cannonballs followed his reply.

* * *

 _MARIEJOIS_

" _I don't want to conquer anything. I just think the guy with the most freedom in this whole ocean... is the Pirate King!"_

The memories were more livid than ever. Luffy allowed himself to smile as every question he'd ever had these past months finally cleared up inside the haze that was his brain. He never felt more light knowing that he wasn't a stuck up Noble or some Marine. He was a pirate and he'd be damn sure to become the Pirate King.

His mind went to Coby's words and his heart ached. Damn, he missed his friends. Too much time had passed. He made a mental note to repay that bastard AkaInu someday.

"We are here, master Lucy." The guard that was supposedly dragging him to his execution stand was speaking to him quite politely and it seemed strange and funny at the same time to the pirate.

"Why do you still keep calling me 'master'?" The raven head could not help but scrunch up his nose at the word. He surely didn't like it at all.

The guard did not answer. Instead, he tugged at his Kairōseki shackles and pulled him upwards on the set of stone stairs. Arriving at the top of the stand, Luffy took a moment to gaze at the vast plaza that would supposedly hold his execution. There was already a crowd forming, full of white clad, stuck-up nobles, of course.

Luffy has never been good at remembering the way to some place or the other, but something told him that the square was a little ways away from the old man's Dojo. And Ivy's house was somewhere to his left. He's been here once on one of the girl's 'shopping expeditions'. The pirate shivered just remembering that.

His eyes spied the red head's dad and for the first time since he'd met him, Luffy allowed the most scorching glare he had ever mustered up in his life be directed towards him. His efforts were rewarded when the black haired man looked up from his conversation with one of the five bastards that had caught him and shot him a disdainful stare.

The contest did not last long. Luffy felt a pressure on his shoulder and his knees buckled, dropping down on the wooden stand. His eyes watched every head in the square turn and look at him like the spectacle was just about to begin. And it probably did, for the Nobles.

"We will now be commencing the execution of Strawhat Luffy. He is convicted of crimes against the Government, thievery, destruction of public places and governmental islands such as Enies Lobies-"

"That was you and your Buster Call..." The raven head grumbled under his breath, though it was still loud enough for the people near the stand to hear.

An uproar began following his words and Luffy grinned even wider at the angry crowd. These people were so easy to rile up, it was child's play.

Two heavy set of footsteps behind him alerted the teen that his executioners have arrived. His mind flashed back to Marineford and Ace's own execution stand. He saw the freckled man kneel on the platform, staring with a horror struck face at the war unfolding in front of him. The green clad people holding spears behind him getting into position to execute his brother and Luffy's own flashy arrival on the platform and their short lived escape.

Once again, it was AkaInu's fault. Luffy's jaw tightened and his mind returned to reality just in time for another set of sharp spears to be set dangerously close in front of his face. The young man gulped, feeling a short gram of fear enter his chest before everything went away.

Suddenly, Luffy's mouth stretched into the widest grin possible, his eyes shining in the warm sunlight. Whatever was that spark of fear, it was gone, replaced by a familiar feeling of content and in that moment, the pirate knew that even with all this memory loss and so on, he'd die with no regrets, just like his older brother. His thoughts went shortly to Sabo and the teen grimaced slightly, knowing that he'd be leaving him alone and breaking his promises, but such was fate. He had been fighting it since yesterday after he regained his memories, but now he was content with everything like this. A small part of him disagreed- _probably Lucy again_ , the raven head thought- though he couldn't do anything more with those damned Kairōseki stone cuffs on.

"Smiling at your own execution. You surely are something else Strawhat." The blonde guy from the five old men spoke, his tone easily covering the whispering crowds.

Something pulled at his senses and Luffy allowed just a little bit of his Haki aura to flare out. The Gorosei felt it, as well as some certain Nobles, including Ivy's dad, but fortunately they considered it a witty move and only continued onwards with the execution.

The five old men nodded as one and his two executioners instantly straightened their backs and lifted the spears above his head in a display of skill that was meant more for the audience than the prisoner.

 _"Any last words, Mugiwara?" Buggy shouted from above, sword in hand. In front of his eyes, the crowd gathered in Logue Town was looking on curiously, but most were horrified seeing the unannounced execution. Luffy had smiled back then and shouted out his dream to the world._

Seeing the scene play right before his eyes, the young man decided it won't be a bad choice of last words, just like last time.

"I AM GOING TO BECOME THE PIRATE KING!"

His words shushed the plaza in front of him immediately. Most of the Gorosei had their eyebrows up in surprise at the bold statement, declared on an execution stand, no less.

The sudden boom that followed and the startling shout of the alarms made the Nobles panic and scream. As one, every soul present started running in different directions, trying to save themselves from whatever bombing was currently ongoing.

Luffy looked on with wide eyes as the hordes of people were running about. Even his would be executioners were shocked still, their mouths agape. Black eyes watched a small, dark grey cloud slowly float above the platform.

No one had any way of knowing what it was doing there, but just as it was above them, there was a shout of _Thunder Tempo_ above the ongoing uproar and Luffy felt a sudden tingling and a flash of white assaulted his vision.

* * *

Nami watched with a proud grin as the stand was engulfed in her artificially created lightning. She strained to keep track of Luffy's falling body, but it was swallowed by the horde of people just as he touched the ground. Grumbling under her breath, she continued on after her teammates.

"Was that really necessary?! You have hurt Luffy-kun!" Hancock shouted as she dealt some pretty sadistic blows to a couple of citizens.

The orange haired woman opened her mouth to protest that it was the only way for him not to get killed in the next five minutes, but Ideo blowing the building next to her cut her off.

"We don't have time for this. They are coming."

Both women looked at him in confusion.

"Who's coming?"

The black haired pirate looked to the grey debris cloud behind them pointedly. Just then, Franky and Sai burst through it, running at top speed. They didn't even stop to greet their teammates.

Looking back into the hole they made, the remaining trio yelped collectively when they saw the oncoming _army_ of Marines.

Cursing, they followed after the two as fast as they could.

* * *

" _Barrier_!" Bartolomeo shouted, dodging another round of bullets. "Do you really have to stay behind me?!"

Mr. 3 pushed his glasses up on his nose and spoke casually. "Of course. We have to use our available abilities at a maximum."

Robin smiled as she cleared their path along with a frantic Sabo. They have seen the earlier bolt of lightning and the implication that Nami and her team was there too. Their only remaining problem was the horde of Marines that have been following them since their apparent discovery.

"Death Wink! Sa-boy, we need to hurry. The Gorosei are here too!" Ivankov shouted, looking in the direction they should be going.

The revolutionary nodded and with another shout of _Fire Fist_ , he easily broke through the crowds.

* * *

"Sanji, Vivi, there!" Usopp pointed towards the end of the row of houses. Shouts, explosions and bullets could be heard and seen flying around from the direction of the square. Not to mention the wave of people that almost hit them.

"Usopp, can you see Luffy-san?" The blue haired girl asked.

The sniper shook his head, a determined expression on his face.

"I'm gonna enter the square and try to cover more area from above. You guys go on ahead."

Sanji nodded, kicking a few people that got in his way. "Then you go. Vivi- _chwan_ should go with him. Your eyes might be helpful up there, too."

The princess nodded in agreement, knowing that there wasn't much she could do on the ground and followed Usopp towards the line of houses at the east of the plaza.

"It's not advisable to split up, Black Leg." Cavendish said as he slashed a few unsuspecting civilians along with the marine soldiers.

"I'm sure Uso-land and Vivi-land will be fine, Cabbage-land. You should trust them more." Leo commented, appearing on his hat. Around them, the soldiers that made to attack them directly collapsed in pools of their own blood.

Sky blue eyes met dark ones and the two blonds scowled at the same time.

"Yeah, yeah, though there's someone I don't trust at all." Cavendish looked at the sandstorm approaching.

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Cabbage man." Sanji agreed, kicking yet another civilian. His narrowed eyes were on Crocodile as well.

As if summoned by their stares, said man floated towards the ground slowly. When he reformed, his face was dark and scowling fiercely.

"Why the fuck am I stuck with him!" The ferocious pirate looked at the little kid hanging on his back with narrowed eyes. The black haired boy did not seem to mind his glare as he looked around at the crazy citizens in wonder.

"'Cause it's your fault we got stuck with the brat in the first place." Sanji bit back, still launching powerful hits randomly.

"And when we tried to leave him back somewhere, he kept following us. So you get stuck with him." Cavendish continued, launching himself in the air and shouting _Biken Swan Lake._

"So deal with it, Croco-land." Leo finished, using his super speed to take out another round of soldiers.

The sand man _tsched_ and went back to destroying things... along with the squealing kid on his back.

 _He better come in handy or I'mma kill him the first chance I get._

* * *

"Rebecca-san, when this is over, would you do me the honor... of letting me see your panties?"

A foot in the skeleton's face was his answer. Though the limb belonged to Perona, Rebecca was more shocked than embarrassed.

The ghost girl glared at the fuming Book slouched on the pavement and silently cursed him good before returning her attention to the others.

"We are saving Strawhat Luffy. Heracles and Chopper go for it. Me and the pervert skeleton will cover you. Princess brings up the rear. Clear?"

"Got it. Let's go!" The reindeer transformed into his Walk Point again and started running with Heracles close on his heels.

"Chopper'un wait up, I am not made to run like this for so long!"

* * *

Law watched the ongoing circus with wide eyes. He was thoroughly confused and concerned, but they didn't have time to dwindle around.

"Perona's team is already on its way to save Luffy-kun. We are taking care of the Gorosei." Jinbei ordered, already starting towards the officials' stands.

"We are going to try and deal with the Nobles and help whoever we can." Coby yelled after him, already turning around to go back in the direction they came from. "We'll be waiting for you here."

Helmeppo nodded from besides him and the two marines were off, dragging a squirming Kiiro behind them.

"Where are you going girl?" The fishman asked, crossing his arms.

Ivy turned to look at Luffy's friends and put on her most determined face. "I'm going to search for Luffy."

She was off before any of them could stop her.

Jinbei sighed and continued on. Buggy released a sound close to a whimper, but trotted dejectedly after him. The doctor allowed himself to shake his head and moved too, slashing and kicking ass in general.

"I guess I'm gonna find Sabo and stuff..." Koala scratched her head.

A quick look at the baffling commotion around her made her decision simple, though. "Jinbei-san! Please wait!"

* * *

Two buildings crumbled in Zoro's wake as he made his way deeper towards the source of the different sounds. Behind him, Smoker was doing the exact same thing.

"Oi, idiot, I think it's this way!"

The green haired man turned towards his companion with a scowl. "Are you sure?"

The marine shrugged. "Probably."

"Don't give me probably!" Zoro shouted, slashing a couple of random marines. "Look, I think it's definitely coming from that direction," he pointed with his sword the other way Smoker had pointed earlier, "so let's go that way."

"Are you one hundred percent sure, Roronoa?" Smoker exhaled, glaring at the man.

Zoro nodded, a determined look in his eyes. The marine nodded reluctantly.

 _What could go wrong?_

And so, the two continued walking onwards, led by a disabled-with-directions Zoro, not realizing they were walking right back towards the entrance.

* * *

"I think I see him!" Perona's voice snapped all of them from their stupor.

Brook's lullaby had rendered the immediate area to sleeping bodies, and Chopper almost flew in the direction the ghost girl was pointing to.

The doctor's eyes searched desperately along with Heracles, but they couldn't spot Luffy anywhere.

Rebecca tripped another soldier that got in her way, leaving the skeleton behind her to finish the job. The rose haired princess was walking a few feet away from Chopper and the beetle man.

The group was surrounding the fallen execution platform, carefully filing the bodies and burning debris on the ground.

"Perona-san, where did you say-" Her mouth snapped closed when her foot collided with another body a little too hard and said person released a groan.

"Somewhere around here. Search faster you idiots!" The pink haired girl did not seem to mind the sudden cut in speech.

Lifting up a slightly fuming piece of wood from said body, Rebecca's eyes widened when the person grinned widely and spoke.

"Nice to see you again too, 'Beca."

"Luffy!"

* * *

Usopp snapped his goggles over his eyes and lifted Kabuto up at the ready.

"You see them Vivi?"

The alabastian princess nodded as she watched the ongoing hubbub and their friends right in the middle of it.

"Rebecca and her team are near the platform. I think they are searching for Luffy-san."

Usopp nodded, signaling he was listening, though his eyes were fixed on the place where the Five Stars were still standing. Around them, Marines and black dressed bodyguards were gathered in a tight circle. Some of them were looking like they were trying to convince the old men to move from the scene.

 _No, let them stay there. It'll be easier for me._

His hand gripped the ammunition he had prepared earlier tightly, itching to place it in its destined place to be launched.

"Nami-san and the others are also near the platform, though they are trying to keep the marines from getting closer to Luffy-san." Her brown eyes shifted in the direction the sniper was looking.

"Are those Sabo-san and the others?"

"I think so..." Usopp muttered absently. "What are they doing?"

"Going to the platform too. But the marines are increasing their numbers and attacking them. I don't thi-"

"What else do you see, Vivi?"

His words took her partly by surprise. The long nosed sniper looked to be concentrated on the Gorosei and nothing else, but if he was asking her, then he must have a plan.

Making a quick sweep of the battlefield below, the blue haired girl continued. "Sanji-san and the rest of our team are also battling Marines. They are going in the direction of the Gorosei. The same with Jinbei-san and his team. I don't see Zoro-san and Smoker."

Usopp snorted. "Probably lost." He shook his head. "I will need you to keep an eye on the Gorosei for me. Tell me if there's any movement. Even a shift in a chair."

Vivi's eyebrows were up in surprise, but she nodded anyway and made herself more comfortable on the stone rooftop they were sitting on.

The Strawhats' sniper watched the soldiers swarming about and his jaw tightened. He knew what was to be done. Shifting Kabuto in a better position, he stretched the ammunition and let it fly into the crowd.

It exploded next to Sabo's head, causing a huge explosion and a fire to extend in the surrounding area. Bartolomeo had his barrier up and was sporting a dark glower on his face. His eyes looked up to see the bastard that dared to attack them and was forced to reconsider his earlier feelings when his gaze locked with Usopp's. The green haired man whooped and waved frantically.

The sniper cringed, inwardly praying that their cover won't be blown by the crazed fanboy.

Sabo looked back in the direction of their 'attacker' as well after he reformed from the explosion, a few choice words almost escaping his lips before he looked around at the sea of fire. Wide eyes looked up towards the roof where Usopp was continuously launching new attacks for their enemies and the blonde grinned.

 _Not bad._

Taking advantage of the element of his Devil Fruit, the fire user launched an all out scorching tornado himself, causing Mr. 3 a good scare and a small burn.

Sabo scratched his head sheepishly through the curses thrown at him.

* * *

Ivy avoided another round of desperate citizens running for cover and kicked a few marines where they deserved as she stumbled through the circus inside the plaza. Her white gaze searched for Luffy's form frantically, but she couldn't spot him anywhere. She was close to the fallen platform and still had no lead where he could be. A small part of her hoped he'd been found by now, but another part knew that he might as well be very injured, considering he couldn't access his Devil Fruit abilities.

Absently, she took off the damned white costume she was wearing, leaving her in a normal T-shirt and jeans. Those were easier to move in and blend with people- _normal_ people. Ivy didn't know when she had started to consider the commoners as the normal ones, but she didn't complain. It had been shown to her over and over again that the Celestial Dragons were the real beasts.

Mouth pressed in a tight line, the red haired girl continued onwards. There was still a big amount of people that were running for their lives. It was truly surprising that the square still hasn't been emptied of unarmed citizens, but she supposed the armies of marine soldiers that were attempting to enter the plaza somehow made it harder to exit it.

A sudden commotion in front of her brought her skidding to a halt. Her white gaze searched through the fight and saw a rose haired girl with a reindeer and another floating girl some meters away. Another strange, black clad man and a tall skeleton were trying to move some rocks from the ground and lift someone.

Heart beating wildly, she took off in their direction.

 _They look like Soul King Brook and Candy Lover Chopper. But who're the others?_

"Are you that red haired girl that was with Luffy-land in the photo?"

A high voice spoke next to her ear. Ivy managed not to stumble and looked on her right shoulder. She blinked in surprise when she saw a small human standing there, smiling at her.

"Who're you?" The red head managed to ask, still looking at the appearance, astounded.

"I'm Leo. A pirate captain in Luffy-land's fleet." The dwarf answered happily. Ivy blinked again.

"Nice to meet you...?" She wasn't sure what to say anymore.

"We have to get to Luffy-land quickly. You help too!" Leo's face was set in a determined mask as he tugged at her hair.

The motion snapped her out of her stupor and she resumed running.

As they neared the group, a sudden shout was heard from the ground.

"Brook, that hurt! Don't tug that leg!"

"Luffy!" The shout escaped her before she could think about it.

Five heads snapped up to gaze with uncertain and distrustful eyes in her direction.

Leo waved from her shoulder. "Luffy-land, I'm glad you're fine!"

The dwarf jumped from her shoulder on the ground next to the raven head.

Luffy grinned. " _Shishishi_ , nice to see you too, Leo!"

Rebecca paused in bandaging a particularly nasty looking bruise and opened her mouth to speak, but the Tontatta cut her off.

"3-land gave me this." He lifted a white key that he kept on his back.

Perona's eyes widened. "That bespectacled idiot really did it!" She exclaimed, looking surprised and impressed.

The pink haired girl landed on the ground and snatched the key from the dwarf. "Let's get him out of those."

Ivy watched as the skeleton, the black clad man and the reindeer-now transformed in a more muscular form-lifted a particularly large piece of wood from Luffy's body, all the while the teen complaining in the background. After his body was finally free, Perona kicked him hard enough to roll his body over-earning quite a few complaints, Ivy included, for her efforts-and unlocked the metal shackles, dropping them on the ground with a loud thump.

Luffy jumped up, making Chopper and Rebecca yelp and shout after him, but their protests went unheard. The raven head pulled each of his crewmates in a tight hug and flashed the others his trademark wide grins before he turned to Ivy.

The red head tried to offer him a smile, but it came out shakier than she was comfortable with so she dropped it.

"Yo, Ivy! How did'ya get here?" Luffy scratched his head, looking on curiously, as if they weren't in the middle of an all out war and there weren't any marines with guns trying to kill them.

Ivy almost hit him over the head, but a look at his injuries and she shook her head. This wouldn't be a good idea, considering the looks behind him.

"Coby-san and the others helped me get here."

"Eh? Where're they?" The pirate looked around inquisitively and he seemed to only now realize that they were in the middle of a mush of people and blood.

"Luffy you have to stay down and let me treat you!" Chopper exclaimed, his wide eyes looking at his captain in concern. The bleeding foot and scrapped skin all over his body from his fall did not help the doctor be at ease at all.

The raven head was about to answer, but an explosion near them sprung the group into action.

* * *

Usopp startled from his concentration, scaring the princess next to him.

"What happened?" The blue haired girl asked, her eyes never straying from the Gorosei. The old men were still in their places, looking thoroughly unconcerned. It made Vivi feel unsettled.

"Somebody shot something at Luffy and the others!" The sniper gritted his teeth. After the initial happiness at seeing his best friend alive and good, he had allowed himself to relax a little and this happened!

Gripping Kabuto tightly, Usopp's sharp eyes searched for the other, hidden sniper. His eyes darted everywhere possible, but his search came up empty.

 _Maybe from inside one of the buildings?_

"Usopp!" Vivi's half shout made him yelp back in surprise and her next hurried statement caused his blood to run cold. "They have dispersed their troops and are going towards Luffy-san and the others!"

Snapping his eyes on the five old men, Usopp concluded that her words were true. The Gorosei, in spite of the protests of their bodyguards and the other marines, were currently walking in a tight group in the general direction where his best friend was.

His captain and the others were still invisible because of the smoke from the explosion, so they surely didn't know they were being targeted.

Praying to all gods they had managed to get away in time, the sniper took out an emergency special and some bamboo shots to be used for ammunition and steeled himself for the upcoming run.

"Vivi, get down on the ground and run. We are making a break for it across the plaza. You go first."

The alabastian princess studied him with eyes full of refusal and she opened her mouth to retaliate.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna fire these and catch up with you." Usopp tried to offer her some self-assurance and a smile, but he only got so far before Sabo's shout of anger was heard across the square.

Two heads snapped in the direction it came from and saw the revolutionary in a tight face off with the Five Stars. A disguised Hancock and Jinbei were just behind him, looking ready to take them on.

Cursing his luck, the sniper looked back at Vivi. "Go."

The blue haired girl did not have to be told twice. "Promise me you won't do something stupid."

"Heh, you don't have to worry about that."

She nodded and in a matter of seconds she was out sight.

With a grim smile, Usopp fired a couple of warning shots with as much subtlety as he could, hoping that his friends would get the message. He saw Law's head lift up in his direction and his heart eased a little at the small nod and the not-so-subtle shout for everyone to move away from the Gorosei.

Not wasting another moment, Usopp fired the special ammunition, taking particular care to avoid the others-minus Sabo, the guy was made of fire anyway. The bomb exploded, causing a crater in the ground where the Gorosei had been, though the men were not visible through the thick smoke. His bamboo shots went next, long, green lances descending from the heavens at an impossible speed.

Usopp paused to watch the green arrows for a couple of seconds before he made a run for it just as a bomb sent from the mystery sniper exploded where he'd been sitting.

Sighing in relief, the pirate made a mad dash, hurrying to catch up with his friends, all the while his mind conjuring up an answer to Vivi's earlier plea.

"I'm still not brave enough to do stupid things."

* * *

Sabo's eye twitched when the explosion came, but then he allowed himself to scowl just as the large bamboo shots went right through his fire body. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that the Strawhats' sniper had something with him.

But as it was, his-thankfully-Logia type body was able to withstand it and Usopp knew it well. The sniper was even nice enough to add some extra fire detonators that spread it more effectively when exploding inside his shots.

Keen eyes watched the smoke slowly dissipate from the recent explosion. He felt the Empress and Jinbei step forward again now that the danger of falling projectiles was gone. Law kept his distance, arms crossed over his chest and an unreadable spark dancing in his eyes.

"You ignorant fools!" The booming voice made them all freeze and their muscles tensed involuntarily.

One of the five men, wearing a black hat and sporting grey dreadlocks, stepped forward, his cold, empty eyes gazing at them with raw and unrestrained anger.

"You dare disgrace the Holy City and its citizens with your common filth, but do not worry! You will be fully paying for your stupid actions."

"Let's see them try." Jinbei's words were lost on his comrades.

Everyone's attention was fully on the man in front of them. He lifted his hand and pointed at the sky, moving the clouds in a better position to strike. "I've seen that you like lightning and thunders. I hope these will satisfy you."

A sudden lightning bold descended from above them, shattering the concrete and just like a chain reaction, several bolts of electricity descended after the first, all going towards them.

Sabo's eyes were wide, his form frozen. The fire user wasn't sure if he should move or not, considering his Mera Mera no Mi power. A wave of powerful Haki made him reconsider, but it was almost too late. He continued to watch the lightning get unnervingly close to him, his mind watching it in slow motion. A sudden weight pressed against him and two bodies were sent sprawling on the ground, leaving the electricity to struck empty ground.

"The hell are you standing around like an idiot for?!"

The Chief of Staff looked up and was surprised-and relieved- to see Koala trying to sit up, all the while glaring at him. His eyes took in her Marine uniform and cloak and he shook his head just as a sudden grin assaulted his features.

"I see you decided to join the Marines after all."

The blonde woman rolled her eyes, but her reply was equally as teasing. "Considering the idiot I have to babysit most of the time, I'm surprised I didn't crack earlier."

Before Sabo could retort, Jinbei's voice attracted their attention back to reality.

"Be careful, he has Devil Fruit abilities!"

The blonde man rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the info."

"We have to make sure they are occupied." Law spoke for the first time since the attack. His eyes narrowed as he unsheathed his sword.

Sabo nodded and stood up as well along with Koala. They had to make sure Luffy got out of there fine.

* * *

Nami's jaw hung open as she watched the lightning bolts descend- _without her command!_ \- from _her_ black clouds.

"Those bastards!" The orange head whispered to herself, not quite believing it.

Behind her, Cavendish cut some more marines into oblivion, all the while cursing the daylights out of the governors.

"This is not the time to swear at the clouds, sis!" Franky said as he launched a few rockets from his shoulders. Sai cut down another dozen soldiers next to him.

"Where's Strawhat?" Crocodile asked as he summoned another sand tornado. The kid on his back squealed excitedly and hit him on the shoulders. The pirate flinched, but abstained from dealing injuries, if only because he might have been wary of the Strawhats' Navigator. That woman almost snapped his neck because he dared take a child prisoner.

Robin shook her head and decided to not ask anything. The sight, as amusing as it could be, was enough. She summoned another round of hands and successfully fended her part of the circle and watched her companions that were striving to do the same. Unknowingly, they have organized themselves like this because it was the easiest option out there to fight in such large group. Considering none of them were killed by the enemy, their backs were covered.

"Looks like we'll have to make a break for it." Ideo muttered from her other side, his eyes fixed on the exit towering above them.

Robin nodded, though her gaze was fixed on the place where Perona's group had been moments ago. The smoke finally cleared and her blue eyes filled with relief.

"They escaped. Let's do the same!"

Her companions nodded and everyone started towards freedom, hoping to catch up with Luffy and the others.

Crocodile grumbled, but followed after being urged on in the kid's original way.

* * *

The continuous lightning bolts falling from the sky did nothing but hinder him, and Sanji cursed them. He had been so close to kicking those old farts' asses but somehow, they had decided to leave their designated seats.

 _Just his fucking luck._

The blonde inhaled greedily from his smoke as he made his way towards the exit of the square, his 'Nami- _swan_ and Robin- _chwan_ senses' directing him expediently faster.

"Die pira-"

" _Mouton Shot_!"

The poor guy didn't have any chance to even touch the cook.

"Tsk, I swear the Marines are getting stupider and stupider." Sanji exhaled, letting the grey haze settle around him as he made a dash for it. Unfortunately, the smoke caused him to collide with somebody.

Cursing his ruined cool image and some other things, the blonde jumped back up, preparing for another round of well earned kicks when his eyes settled on Usopp rubbing his head.

"What the hell Sanji?!" The sniper scowled. "Now you're blind or something?"

Sanji let the sarcastic question slide this once since it was- _probably_ -his fault, but that didn't matter in these moments of frenzy.

"What were you doing?" The cook flicked his cigarette and kicked an approaching marine.

"Trying to call you!" The sniper bit back as an answer. "I was running after Vivi when I saw you."

Sanji's eyes were instantly heart shaped. "Did you say Vivi- _chwan_ is here?"

Usopp sighed. "Yeah, let's go." Reflexively, his eyes lifted to the buildings looming all around them and his eyes narrowed.

Something did not quite feel right.

* * *

Mr. 3 deflected another lightning bolt that fell from the sky. Surprisingly, his wax was quite effective if it maintained its metal qualities. Rebecca yelped next to him and increased her speed concordantly with their precarious situation.

After the first bomb or lightning, whatever it was, had exploded unnervingly close to them, Perona had deemed it dangerous enough to get their asses out of there. Something that had been harder than expected actually. Luffy's sudden _scatterbrained-ness_ had taken them all by surprise, but they somehow managed to drag him after them.

Turning her head around, she watched the raven head running, half dragged by a frantic Brook, sporting a confused expression on his face. He looked like he didn't have any clue what was happening nor why they were running.

It was like that explosion had broken him off into a disorienting state of ignorance. And it only served to unnerve all of them.

"Hey." Brook turned his skull around to gaze at his captain. The teen was looking up at him with an inquiring gaze that did not quite match with their current situation. "You are that skeleton from the newspaper. How come you can move?"

The musician almost tripped over his own feet. If he'd have had a face in that moment, it would be contorted in a mask of horror. But he didn't have one, so Chopper and Rebecca's faces were enough to do him justice.

"Luffy, what are you talking about!" The doctor's eyes shifted frantically over his form, but aside from his body injuries, he did not find any visible concussions.

Seeing as he wouldn't receive and answer, Luffy turned his attention to Ivy.

"Hey Ivy, when's dinner?"

The red head faltered for a moment in her steps at the seemingly random question, but her eyes hardened marginally when she saw the sincere look Luffy was throwing her.

"In a while. First we have to get out of the city so we have to hurry Luffy, go-"

"Again with that name!" The raven head groaned. This time all the people surrounding them stopped to look back at him.

"What's happening, Chopper?"

Rebecca heard Brook whisper to his friend. The reindeer looked on lost, not sure what diagnosis could be placed on this.

"It's like his memories are all over the place." Chopper whispered. In all his years of medical expertise, he had never encountered such a situation. Granted, he never had to deal with more than physical wounds.

"It might be because of the serum." Ivy spoke, her eyes never leaving Luffy's.

"I told _you_ ," Luffy drawled, a pout on his face. "My name's Lucy."

Rebecca gulped, this was not good. As if encouraged by their situation, the bolts of electricity falling in their vicinity doubled in number.

"We have to go!"

"Come on." Ivy grabbed his hand and continued to drag him. They were almost to the exit of the square, it won't be long until the western exit came into view.

"Oi, Ivy!" The pirate stumbled after her, trying to regain his balance. "At least tell me what we're running from! Wait, where's Kiiro?!"

"After all this, and only now he thinks to display a horrified expression?" Perona huffed, barely dodging the lightning that descended next to them.

"He's in front of us." Leo patted Luffy's black hair assuredly, silently urging him onwards.

Luffy seemed to accept this answer and he continued to run. His eyes looked up at the intricate arcades above them when they passed the exit and the city's large streets opened up in front of them.

A big group of people was standing there, each one of them holding something in their hands. He heard the pink haired flying girl and a few others swear quietly and was even more confused. Weren't those guys the ones that should be protecting them?

So why were they pointing all those guns in their direction?

The barrage of bullets was engulfed by sand and Luffy actually had to blink. What was sand doing there?

"Are you okay Luffy?" A breathless voice behind them asked and the sound of footsteps followed.

The young man in question raised his eyes to look at them and a wide grin spread across his face.

" _Hey_ , Nami, everyone!" He waved wildly, making the newly arrivals smile.

"You look like shit, Strawhat Luffy." Crocodile descended from above, his posture casual, though the man was seriously considering getting rid of the kid on his back by now.

"Thanks, you too." Luffy replied automatically before his eyes widened when he studied the scowling man closer. "Who're you again?"

The newcomers stopped, their eyes going wide. Robin grimaced when she saw that her captain was really serious with that question. In that moment she knew her darkest fears were coming true.

"Let's move, we don't have time for this." Cavendish spoke through his gritted teeth. His tense jaw was enough of a hint that he was obviously disturbed by Luffy's behavior.

Nods all around him were the signal to continue running.

* * *

Hancock sent another dozen of arrows flying towards the wall of soldiers surrounding them. Most of the men became stone, but there were some that had managed to get away just in time. Mouth pressed in a tight line, her eyes shifted to gaze at the exit and saw a couple of retreating backs in the distance. The Empress finally allowed herself to sigh in relief, but not for long.

The Gorosei were back full force and were currently giving them a hard time just trying to hold them back to let the others escape. Those old men packed quite the entourage of Devil Fruit abilities. After the initial surprise of seeing the Cloud Fruit in action, she, Jinbei and Law devised a counterattack that might have worked, had they been fighting only against one of them. As it was, the continuous waves of marines, the other four governors, and not to mention the hidden sniper that launched bombs all over the place, were not helping their situation.

Sabo had been in a throw down against the governor that possessed the Water Fruit. A literal opposite of the Mera Mera no Mi and a dangerous one at that.

Koala had been fighting alongside Jinbei for the last few minutes and she felt like the continuous insistence of the soldiers was getting ridiculous. She had to find a way for all of them to get out of there. A sudden idea entered her mind and she turned to face Law.

The doctor felt her gaze on him and inclined his head slightly, showing that he was listening.

"Can you use your powers to get us out of here?"

Law considered this for a few moments before he shook his head. "I could try, but we won't get too far."

His answer seemed to deflate the girl.

Sabo's scream made them all look in the direction of the face-off. The revolutionary was with his back against the wall, his flames barely flickering on his wet body.

"You are too naive young man. Your power is still a hundred years too early to confront me. I am saddened to see Portgas D. Ace's ability used by someone so inexperienced with its true strength." The tall man with long hair spoke in a monotone voice. His cold eyes were watching the blonde with mocking pity and detachment. His hand moved, and along with it, a wall of water that slowly took the form of a dragon.

Sabo watched the water creature release a sound close to a roar and start its attack. The blonde closed his eyes, bracing himself for the fall of the water wall.

It never came.

* * *

Buggy cursed the world, the Government and his fate in general.

 _Did he mention Strawhat Luffy as well?_

After he had been dragged throughout Mariejois by Jinbei and the other idiots, the clown had finally found an opportunity of getting out of there alive and without being cut into pieces, his damned Devil Fruit not entering the equation in this situation.

Unfortunately for the poor pirate, he had once again been caught trying to get away by the insufferable green head that he swore never to get near since Impel Down.

Bartolomeo had snatched him by the hand- literally- and dragged him throughout the square, all the while fighting people and thus Buggy was forced to do the same.

It did not take long to reunite with the Strawhats' cyborg that had been striking poses and dropping bombs that decimated the Marine's ranks effectively.

With these said, the trio had made it their mission to back up everyone while they escaped. Unfortunately, the fight that broke out against the Gorosei was not taken into consideration.

"But never fear, your bro Franky has a _super_ plan!"

Buggy rolled his eyes, but honestly gave his interest in hearing it. What the shipwright has been planning was pure suicide and the clown took it upon himself to improve it, if even to give them-or more importantly, _him_ \- the chance to escape.

They had kept their distance at first, but after Sabo's utter defeat, Franky had stepped forward and the plan was in action.

The sudden explosion shook the entire plaza. A Muggy Ball and the most powerful missile Franky had ever invented were put into action and the result was enlightening, to say the least.

Their shouts snapped the others into action and everyone started running in the direction of freedom, with Bartolomeo keeping up a large barrier behind them just in case.

Buggy watched the arcades get ever closer and allowed himself a smirk. He'd show that bastard Shanks and the old man that he was a dangerous and powerful guy. And then they wouldn't dare mess with him anymore!

 _A job well done._

Not for long unfortunately.

The sudden wave of water and the sound of glass breaking were heard behind them and Buggy cursed along with Bartolomeo. The group hurriedly pressed on, but the two Devil Fruit abilities were catching up with them rapidly.

When the water had gotten unnervingly close, in Buggy's humble opinion, the clown almost took to the skies when a shout of _Death Wink_ from above their heads stopped him mid-step.

Ivankov landed with a large boom and his oversized head grinned back at them.

"I was waiting for you. Mugiwara-boy is already far ahead. I'll stall them a little. Now go!" The purple haired man exclaimed dramatically.

Buggy did not wait to be told twice. Ignoring Sabo and Koala's protests, he continued to run, not minding if the others were going to follow him or not.

If Ivankov so insisted, he'd take what he could.

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work, Usopp-san?"

Vivi's question was echoed by Sanji's own exclamation.

"Did you hit your head or something?! No way in hell this is gonna work."

Usopp glared at the blonde a little before he huffed and turned around, clearly signaling he wasn't going to argue with them anymore. He shifted his hold on Kabuto and crouched down.

"Yeah I'm sure. Now stop losing time and let's do this!"

The blue haired princess nodded, equally determined. Sanji only snorted and reached for another cigarette.

The Strawhats' sniper eyed the building next to the one he was standing on, which he considered to be the hideout of their mystery sniper and tried to stop the irritating tremors running through his body. Throwing his friends a shaken grin, he pointed a thumb at himself and said.

"Don't worry, the mighty Captain Usopp is gonna take care of that guy. Vivi, I'm counting on you to motivate my launcher."

The alabastian giggled.

Sanji's eyebrow shot up, and he sighed knowing that he'd have to aim this good.

Vivi turned to the blonde cook and winked in his direction, throwing a blow kiss for good measure.

"Do your best, Sanji-kun!"

Sanji's eyes went immediately into heart mode and the cook's body began to twist like a noodle.

"Let's go!" With that, Usopp put his ammo in his mouth and jumped towards the ground, praying to all gods that Sanji will snap out of it and not let him fall like an idiot. Numerous painful wounds were recounted inside his mind in those few seconds of uncertainty.

Thankfully, Sanji jumped just in time to catch the sniper, his left foot becoming a prop for Usopp's own feet. With a roaring battle cry, the cook launched Usopp towards the building in front of them.

Being in the air, Usopp quickly concluded, was not fun and he'd like to not do it again, if possible. Praying that Sanji's kick would be powerful enough to keep him in the air for a few seconds longer, the sniper placed, rather shakingly, the exploding star in its place and waited for a few more seconds. When he felt that gravity was taking its rights over his body again, Kabuto's sling snapped, and a shot the size of a small ball went directly through the window.

Usopp's yells of horror distracted Sanji from his 'chat' with Vivi long enough to actually make him realize that his crewmate was probably falling to his death. Sighing in exasperation, the blonde cook took a few steps backwards to make way for his fall.

Usopp attributed Sanji a few choice words inside his mind as he reached for Kabuto again and shot a Pop Green to cushion his fall.

"Are we done here, Usopp?" Sanji's question was doubled in the background by the explosion of the house where the mystery sniper had supposedly been hanging around.

The long nosed sniper offered a grin and a thumbs up.

"Hell yeah!"

Vivi smiled and was about to congratulate Usopp on his feat when her brown eyes looked past the two in the distance. Eyes wide, she threw herself over them with a yelp, successfully getting the two on the ground with her just as a large glass shard passed over their heads and lodged itself in the concrete wall behind them, thoroughly cracking it.

Vivi eyed the sharp, transparent piece warily before she jumped to her feet, along with an angry Sanji and a still stupefied Usopp.

"They are coming. We've gotta go." Sanji flicked his cigarette to the ground, stomping it as his eyes never strayed from the blonde haired Gorosei's form.

Mouth pressed in a tight line, he kicked the ground hard enough to cause a wall of dust and debris to cover their escape.

He won't be risking his neck to fight that guy for now.

It did not take long to reach the exit of the square and what they saw made them pause a little.

Ivankov was currently in a stalemate with one of the Gorosei that seemed to control water. The other old men were nowhere in sight, but that was something the three could care less about in that moment.

The purple haired transvestite perked up when he saw them coming. Breathing hard, hands on his knees, the Okama spoke.

"You are the last ones to come! Go fast, the others are already on their way to the entrance."

"We will not let any of you escape from here." The long haired Gorosei intoned, his eyes narrowing when the Okama in front of him grinned wildly.

"I beg to differ!" The exclamation was followed by a pirouette. "You have been subjected to my newest creation! How does it feel?"

The old man was about to interrupt his stupid declaration when he felt his muscles tighten, his whole body going rigid. Eyes wide, he realized that was the only thing he could move of his body in that moment.

Ivankov continued to grin that obnoxious grin of his as he started to wriggle his pointed fingers. "The Paralysis Hormone is quite useful, _neh_?"

Laughing wildly, he jumped down from the arcade and proceeded to follow the others.

"What the hell are you doing?! After them!" The Gorosei barked at the stone-like marines just standing around him.

The army snapped out of their stupor one by one and with a mighty battle cry, they burst out of there and into the city.

* * *

Zoro growled as he continued to slam marines and nobles left and right, not caring for anything other than the fact that they weren't his friends. His narrowed eye took in the carnage before him and he had to give himself a pat on the back for the good job they did in keeping the exit clear- metaphorically, of course.

After almost half an hour of walking in the direction Zoro had pointed to, the two men arrived back to the passage that they had just entered from. A heated argument ensued, but the appearance of the Marine force was enough to distract them and, eventually, they both agreed that it would benefit everyone if they kept the path clear for them.

Smoker had been grudgingly convinced to stay as well, Zoro's arguments proving enough for the marine. Though he continued his destruction, it was all well and good that he did that and then some more to the citizens.

It did not take long for the explosions to begin in the distance. The bombing was doubled by some other suspicious looking Devil Fruit powers. It took every ounce of willpower for the two men not to start running in that direction. Granted, Zoro would have probably gotten lost on the way.

 _"I swear to God, your sense of direction is so fucked up, it doesn't even follow any kind of logic!"_ Smoker had yelled, fists clenched and mouth scowling. He was clearly abstaining from punching the Strawhats' swordsman.

 _"Shut up! You're clearly an idiot for not realizing we were going in the wrong direction!"_ Zoro had bitten back, a warning hand on the hilt of his sword.

The timely arrival of Coby and Helmeppo had saved the town from even more disaster. The pink haired man had been mortified to say the least when he saw _Vice Admiral_ Smoker glaring at Zoro and vice versa. He was almost ready to start resorting to drastic measures because they were discovered, but his blonde friend managed to calm him down just in time for Smoker to state his reasons for being there. Coby had sighed in relief, looking like he had just avoided death- which was probably true.

The surprising appearance had been from a blonde haired kid that smiled up at Zoro and asked if he was one of _Lucy_ 's friends. The green haired man wanted to respond with a biting remark and an _I don't know who the hell Lucy is_ , but the kid looked really honest so the swordsman had reluctantly answered that he was _Luffy_ 's friend. The kid dubbed as Kiiro had nodded, clearly not minding the correction to the name.

Returning to the present time, Zoro turned back just in time to avoid a downward slash and countered with one of his own, slicing the guy in two cleanly. He looked up to the sound of an exploding building far away where the square probably was.

No more than five minutes passed before hurried footsteps were heard down the road. The swordsman sighed in relief when he saw no marines in sight, only his friends.

The rather large group was hurriedly running towards them. Most of them were looking behind, at a commotion that was currently tugging Brook's bony hand.

Zoro's heart almost stopped and his eye widened considerably when he saw him. Luffy, _definitely_ Luffy, looking the same, only with the addition of another scar on his neck. And there was no joke nor mirage this time. It was really his breathing, living captain.

In that moment all the rage and resentment the swordsman had ever felt at himself and the world washed away like the waves on Sunny's hull, leaving inside him only a rare feeling of relief and uncertainty. That man, however unchanged he might look on the outside, was surely another story on the inside. After more than four months living with the Celestial Dragons, he was sure that Luffy wasn't the same. _Couldn't be._

That's what Zoro was most afraid of. That those bloody bastards had changed Luffy, beginning with his name and ending with his mind.

Mouth pressed in a tight line, he stepped forward and yelled, attracting everyone's attention around him.

"LUFFY!"

Said captain turned his head around and grinned that lost, wide grin of his and Zoro knew that it must be a dream.

"Yo, Zoro!"

He even remembered his name. A small spark of hope lighted in Zoro's chest. Could it be that their captain was so strong as to resist their torturing?

The group neared the four men and one kid, all of them with various degrees of glad, happy and doubtful expressions. No one spoke for a few seconds, only uncertain faces greeting them that made an alarm sound in the swordsman's mind, when Luffy opened his mouth.

"Eh, what are you doing here?" His tone was clearly confused, like he had just remembered something he forgot. "Weren't you training with Mihawk for two years?"

The green haired man froze, his jaw going slack for a few, ridiculous moments. He saw his crewmates and Rebecca flinch. Sai, Ideo and Cavendish turned their heads away, faces unreadable. Leo hung his head defeated. Mr. 3 and Crocodile remained impassive through this.

Luffy's honest face almost hurt to look at. Zoro eyed the others with an inquiring look, though none of them made a move to explain the reason behind Luffy's behavior. Finally, Perona cracked, her face set in a predetermined scowl and a furrow of her brows that signaled Zoro's trained skills of reading her, that nothing good was coming.

"He's been like this since we found him. It's like he has two freaking personalities!" Her shout echoed in Zoro's ears.

He truly didn't know how to deal with this situation. Turns out, he wouldn't have to.

"Ivy, Lucy!" Kiiro's shout of joy made all heads turn to the stranger.

"Kiiro, there you were!" Luffy exclaimed, looking pleased to see his friend.

The boy grinned, but Ivy interrupted before they could launch a chat.

"We've gotta get out of here _now_. The Gorosei are coming."

Several gasps were heard.

"How do you know that?" Zoro growled.

"Easy now." Smoker's words did nothing but aggravate the green haired man.

"Ivy-san, where are Koala and the others?" Coby spoke for the first time since the newcomers arrived. There were a couple of joyful greetings at seeing the pink haired marine along with his friend.

"Behind us. They'll be coming shortly." The red head answered, clearly itching to resume running.

"Yosh! Let's go back. I'm hungry." Luffy thrust his hands up in the air, already turning on his heels towards the city.

Nami snapped first out of her stupor. "Y-You can't Luffy. We have to get out of here!"

"Again with that name..." The raven head groaned for the second time that day. "What do you mean get out of here? Ivy's house is that way." He pointed in a random direction.

Ignoring the clearly wrong way, Ivy tried again. "We are leaving the city for the moment, Lucy. Now come on, we can't stay here anymore."

Luffy's eyes were livid when he locked them with hers. "No." He said in all seriousness.

Ivy opened her mouth again, but her friend was not done.

"They said that Celestial Dragons can't walk alongside _common_ people."

The pirates and marines present flinched at the accentuated word. His crewmates had never heard him spit a word with so much hate before. Something dawned on the red head's face in that moment of raw shock.

"What does that have to do with anything, Strawhat?" Crocodile exhaled the smoke from his cigar, trying hard to ignore the kid strangling him. The boy on his back seemed to get along well with Kiiro.

"I'm a Celestial Dragon too. So too bad, can't come." The raven head commented, his index finger picking his nose.

"What!"

The substantial group did not dare turn around in fear of breaking their own necks. That's how frozen in place they were at hearing those words.

Sabo's face looked closer to lava than the fire his Devil Fruit was famous for. His eyes burned with the same anger that Zoro felt in the deep recesses of his soul, but didn't dare let out in fear of hurting Luffy or his friends. There'll be a time for everything.

The blonde haired man stepped forward, breathing hard from all the running, leaving his group behind.

Koala's eyes locked with Coby's questioningly, but the pink haired man could only shake his head slightly, clearly too disturbed by what was happening to form a coherent answer.

For once in his life, Buggy decided to restrain himself from any comments regarding anything happening at the moment. He'd like to get out of there alive, thank you very much.

"What are you talking about Luffy?" The revolutionary questioned in a calmer voice.

Luffy locked eyes with him steadily. "I said I'm not gonna come 'cause I can't. You guys go ahead without me."

The resounding silence was broken by Ivy's resigned sigh. "So they really managed to do that to him."

Every pair of eyes- or eye, in Zoro's case- was on her in a split second.

"What are you talking about? Answer me right now girl!" Hancock looked as livid as Sabo was.

The red head did not need further push to elaborate on her statement.

"They've been extracting information from him. Nothing too major found as far as I know. The problem is that they applied a method of implementing him the notion that he is a Celestial Dragon. I'm sure it was for this exact reason." White eyes narrowed, glowering at the tall wall. "To make him unable to leave this city."

"You are thoroughly right, Saint Ivory." A deep spoke from behind them.

"Law!" Nami shouted, her light brown eyes watching in horror as the doctor was being strangled slowly by the man that spoke.

Jinbei slipped into an attack position and Franky's shoulders opened, revealing the dozens of bombs inside.

The bespectacled, bald man remained impassive however. His sharp eyes studied the group with a scrutinizing glare, before they stopped on Luffy's form. The raven head glared.

"You're one of the old men that captured me." His pointed finger made the Gorosei snort. His friends gasped.

"What do you want?" Ivy's voice gathered his attention and his stare locked on hers.

In that moment, a little of Robin's respect went to her. It wasn't easy to have a stare down with the World Governors.

"As polite as always." The man's tone was mocking, yet his face did not display any of that emotion. "You have always been a controversial subject on our table."

"I'm sure glad to hear that." The red head replied, making the man's eyes narrow.

"Speaking like a true pirate now, huh. It seems like there is no more saving you."

"Ivy what's happening?" Luffy's harsh whisper was ignored by the young woman. His jet black eyes were watching the stare contest worriedly, along with the others.

"You do not have to bother yourself with such mundane things, Strawhat Luffy." Glasses man, as Luffy had dubbed him, closed his eyes, clearly looking bored with the whole situation.

Mr. 3 fixed his glasses up on his nose and squinted his eyes to get a better look at the man. Something seemed strange about him and the trembling Buggy stranding next to him did not help his examination. A stray sunray made everything clear in a moment and his eyes widened.

"Are-are those scales?!" His half shout, half whisper broke the group in two.

One, the people that slipped into attack stances, ready for any move the Zoan type might make. And two, the people that were ready to bolt out of there, should a fight break out. The importance in getting out of the city has been pointed out more than once throughout the invasion.

"You can try to kill me." Ivy's eyes were as hard as steel. "I'd like to see you succeed." She lifted her arms up, black Haki coating them in obvious warning.

"Ivy, let's get out of here." Luffy stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We can make it back home-"

The red head jerked to look in his direction. "You have to get out of this city. Now Lucy!"

Zoro tied his black bandana to his head tightly, swords already drawn. Cavendish had his sword out as well, while Sai shifted the hold on his lance, preparing for the upcoming battle. Law tried to unsheathe his own sword as gingerly as he could, all the while hoping that the man was too preoccupied with the suicidal red head to notice him.

Luffy seemed to deflate a little and Rebecca took the opportunity to grip his arm and try and drag him out of there. Unfortunately, the raven head had other plans.

Instead of listening to his friend, he took a step forward, eyes full of anger. "What are you saying at a time like th-"

The sound of a gun being set off snapped his mouth shut.

"Ivy!" Coby, Helmeppo and Koala yelled collectively.

Luffy followed their horrified gazes and chocked.

"O-Oi, Ivy. You're bleeding!" His shout made the red head cringe, but she didn't step away from her place in front of him.

"No shit... idiot."

Her collapse on the pavement was the signal that made everyone move.

The swordsmen attacked all at once, aiming for the Gorosei's neck. Law had successfully used his _Room_ to escape from the man's grasp and followed Zoro's lead.

The old man in front of them gave a sharp laugh at the slouched form on the ground before his eyes became a shocking yellow and his skin was covered with purple shaded scales that allowed him to morph into a full out dragon. The ancient Zoan type was enormous, its wings fluttering dangerously against its attackers and creating a powerful wind that threw most of them backwards.

Arms sprouted on its form, courtesy of Robin, but they were rendered useless by the powerful creature.

"I'm going to try and stall him. You attack." The black haired woman nodded to Koala, Sabo and Jinbei. They nodded and launched a Fishman Karate attack combined with fire and dragon named techniques.

Hancock was onto the creature as well, attacking from any direction possible. Next to her, Ideo was launching exploding fists and Sai was caught between exploding along with them and attacking the dragon himself.

Perona and Leo had split up, each of them trying to find any weakness in the Zoan's armor, while Crocodile attacked along with the others, laughing like a maniac and thoroughly enjoying the fight, now that the insufferable kid had deemed to get off his back for a change. Smoker eyed the guy, taking a moment to disperse the madman image he had for a moment before his eyes. Shaking his head in disbelief, he opted to continue attacking along with Coby and Helmeppo.

Franky and Brook were trying a teamwork strategy, with Rebecca backing them up.

"Luffy-senpai..." Bartolomeo whispered as he watched the raven head fall to his knees next to the red haired girl that's been shot. His eyes slid to Mr. 3's wax covered form and he understood the wordless message. Lifting up his barrier, the green haired man bit his lip to abstain from going to his idol's side and comfort him. He hadn't known the girl for long, but from what he'd understood, she was partly at fault for all of this, and partly because of her that his senpai was saved. The man wasn't sure if he should be thankful to her or not.

* * *

"Farewell, Ivy."

Luffy's gaze snapped up to the side of the battlefield and the sight made his blood boil. _The bastard_ , Ivy's dad, was standing there, _grinning_ , with a gun in his hand. It was clear to Luffy what had happened.

"You..." He growled, something that made the man smile's widen.

" _You_ are next." His mouthed words were as worthless to Luffy as anything in that moment. Eyes burning with unrestrained anger, he stood up so quickly, he made Bartolomeo and Mr. 3 jump in surprise. They didn't have time to stop him nor his flying fist.

" _Gomu Gomu no Pistol_!"

Everyone paused for a second to gaze at the one who had shouted the attack's name and its effects. With a bone crunching sound, the black haired Noble was deeply indented into the sturdy wall, his face and body bloodied and unrecognizable.

The dragon's face looked almost pleased for a moment before it roared, snapping everyone out of their trances and resuming the fight.

Luffy dropped back down to his knees, looking exhausted at the world. His hand gripped Ivy's shoulder and he turned her face up. The sight of the bleeding wound in the middle of her chest made him cringe and swallow back tears.

"Don't look like a crybaby now of all times."

Her whispered words did nothing more than make the need to sob harder to ignore.

"You're gonna be okay." Not even Luffy himself believed it. But he tried to convince himself that it'd be true.

His black gaze lifted and hope filled him when small hooves entered his field of vision. Chopper's face was grim and his lower lip trembled.

Luffy felt his stomach drop.

"Thanks for showing me this freedom I've heard so much about." Her smile was pained, but sincere.

Luffy chocked and tried to laugh. "You still haven't seen half of it."

Ivy's lips turned downwards and she reached a trembling hand to her hair, loosening it. Her hand gripped the purple fabric tightly, bringing it close to his face.

"Then see it for me, too, Lucy... _Luffy_."

He felt like her silver eyes were searching his very soul. Something inside of him twisted painfully at hearing the two names.

"So I'm Luffy." The resigned tone made her giggle and cough some blood.

"Strawhat Luffy." The red head corrected. "The man who'll become the King of the Pirates." Her fist touched his forehead lightly.

Luffy closed his eyes, feeling her words were true. He was Strawhat Luffy and his dream was to be the freest man on the sea. That's why he came to the Grand Line in the first place. That's why he left East Blue.

"But you're Lucy too." The next sentence made his eyes snap open and see her giving him a bloodied smile. "An idiot that can't watch himself and gets in trouble for punching Nobles in the face."

He almost grinned.

Her eyes softened suddenly and Luffy's heart felt like it could burst out of his chest.

"Forgetting is like a wound, Luffy." Ivy's voice was no more than a whisper. That single sentence seemed to deprive her of everything. With a last shallow breath, she closed her eyes to the sight of his tear struck face.

Luffy watched her die and wasn't sure how he felt. Only one thought went through his head at that moment in time.

"The wound may heal but it has already left a scar... _right_?"

Kiiro's yells and cries were not registered inside his mind. The pirate tried to sob but he couldn't. He was seeing only the dead bodies of the rest of his friends if they didn't leave in that exact moment.

Gripping the purple material tightly, he jumped up, lifting Ivy's lifeless body with him. Inhaling deeply, he shouted his lungs out.

"WE ARE LEAVING _NOW_!"

Heads turned at the sudden scream and the pirates scrambled after him. The dragon gave a roar behind them and lifted a large claw to attack, before a large explosion unbalanced him.

Luffy looked up above their heads to see Sanji using _Sky Walk_ to run above them, carrying Vivi and Usopp with him. Ivankov landed on the ground in front of the dragon with a large _thud_.

The blonde haired cook swiped the battlefield, his eyes stopping on the red haired beauty that was lying unmoving in his captain's arms and he understood. But that didn't make him feel any less miserable.

Usopp couldn't help the grimace that made its way on his face at the sight and neither could Vivi. The blue haired girl's hands were covering her mouth and unbidden tears came in her eyes.

Luffy tried offer the newly arrived a shaky smile, but he dropped it as soon as it came. Instead, his eyes refocused on his unmoving friends and asked himself _why_ wasn't anyone _fucking moving_?!

"LET'S GO!"

The second scream finally snapped them out of it. Everyone went into motion at the same time the Zoan governor regained his balance and wits.

Luffy went first into the stone tunnel. He did not look back, but the raven head knew that Chopper and Rebecca were just behind him, followed by everyone else. The feeling of oil and his feet slipping made him stumble a bit, but he thankfully regained his balance just in time.

Jaw clenched, the pirate continued on, unbidden. That was the least he could do to repay Ivy and alleviate the utter stupidity of her death because of _him_ and his _idiocy_.

 _Shut up Lucy. We don't have time for this now._

Ignoring the fact that he was talking to himself, Luffy continued onwards, watching the light of the outside world grow steadier in both power and size.

The feeling of being outside those walls was like a long lost friend.

* * *

Back near the tall, emergency exit door, a disfigured head morphed out of the ground. The man had a grey moustache along with large birthmark spots in the middle of his forehead. His bald head still had a few chunks of earth on it.

The man looked through narrowed eyes at the retreating backs of the pirates, zeroing in on the furthermost one of a black haired teen carrying that woman's dead body. As if corresponding with his feelings, the plant life around him started to wither.

"The will of D is strong in this child. He is the most dangerous kind of criminal there is. D is God's enemy!"

"Stop reciting those things."

The man in the ground turned his head to gaze at the blonde seated on a nearby boulder. The man's eyes were also on the group, though his gaze held nothing but resignation.

"Whatever the Will of D is, Strawhat Luffy's will is stronger. We should stop worrying about such ancient thing and start worrying about the man in front of us and his army of pirates. He's not gonna need the power of D to bring this world upside down, that's for sure."

The moustached man huffed, melting into the earth once again. In his place, a grey flower bloomed.

The remaining Gorosei remained impassive, still watching the disappearing dots on the horizon.

* * *

 **A/N: Merry Christmas! :D  
**

 **...yass, I did it. Between family and food, I found some internet to post this xD**

 **This is the longest chapter yet(i think) xD and I had real fun writing it!**

 **It was kind of a sad chapter( if you liked Ivy anyway, if not, oh well). I'm still not sure if I'm sad or not about it ._.**

 **Anyway, please tell me what you think about it, because I really want to know how I did in dealing with a large scale invasion xD And I want to know how I did with Luffy too. Please tell me it's at least believable owo  
**

 **Also, I will get around to posting the epilogue later (I hope)**

 **Reviews and Feedback are loved! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

CONCLUSION

* * *

The warm light of the sun helped lift up his mood, if only slightly. He heard the sound of waves slapping against the cliffs of the island and the calm trance that had set in his chest ever since they escaped that city returned.

Rayleigh had greeted them with open arms and a relieved face. There had been a large roar that erupted from all the pirates gathered in Sabaody at the sight of their forms emerging from the small ship. It struck Luffy as strange, but he didn't mind it. He was glad to see so many familiar, and not so familiar faces around him.

His eyes had spied Shanks' ship floating in the distance. Next to the dragon headed ship was a whale shaped one and the raven head smiled when he realized Marco and the Whitebeard pirates were there too. He hasn't seen them in a long while, though it felt like it was only yesterday.

His memories and thoughts were still jumbled and Luffy still burst out talking random things without his notice, but at least he realized what was happening to him and worked hard with Robin and Chopper to control Lucy, as he had dubbed that second voice inside his head.

Perona had said double personality, but the pirate didn't agree. Lucy was just another part of him that somehow learned how to talk. They'll get along in no time.

The former First Mate of the Roger Pirates had brought him to the graveyard in Sabaody and Luffy deemed it perfect. He chose a spot right next to the cliffs and the Grand Line's waters. He was sure she'd like it there, it felt like freedom to him.

Luffy had never attended funerals, but he was glad when it was all over. As much as it was hard to say goodbye, he knew that he'd return here sometime in the future.

 _Now there's one more grave to visit on the list_ , his mind, or maybe Lucy, had supplied grimly and the raven head agreed. The list was getting long.

As much as Rayleigh didn't like to push them around, the incoming Marine forces that could not be stalled by either Coby, Smoker or Shanks and Marco were coming towards them, intent on starting the whole thing all over again, and Luffy was sure as hell there won't be a next time. He also decided to not confront any marines for a while. He might do something that would get him in more trouble than he was already in.

After a short goodbye to their saviors and friends, the Strawhats embarked on the Sunny, who was brought forth by Shanks and Marco and with Red Hair and Jinbei's help, they were successfully led back to the New World's waters. Luffy had refused to see the red haired pirate, claiming that he still got a long way to go until he was a great pirate. Shanks did not have anything against that judgment.

After a tight hug to his blonde haired, older brother, Luffy and everyone else, assured him the Strawhats will be fine and that he could relax. Sabo did not look at all convinced, almost ready to start fussing over his brother again, but Koala and Ivankov dragged him away before he could spark another battle of wills. However strange Luffy's mind was at that moment, he would have won anyway. That's how stubborn the younger pirate was.

The same story had been with Hancock as well. The Empress had completely refused to leave his personal space for more than five seconds. After a huge argument, in which even Rayleigh deemed it necessary to participate, Luffy finally snapped. His out of character outburst was quickly covered by the same raven head, who assured the older woman that he'd be fine and he'll make sure to visit soon. Hancock was grudgingly convinced, but not before another offer of marriage was thrown in his direction and was refused, as always.

The Strawhat pirates' captain almost cried when he saw the lion headed ship smile at him and in that moment he realized how much he had missed the Sunny and his friends. A teary shouting match ensued on the deck after they were left alone- mostly between Usopp, Chopper, Franky and himself- but the others joined in too, in their own ways.

All in all, the last two days felt so rushed to the raven haired pirate that he was not sure yet if it was a dream or not. He felt so lightheaded and confused by everything that was happening to and around him that he had started to act even more out of character, a fact not lost on his crew, who resumed to throwing him concerned looks and watch him even more closely. It made Luffy feel like a two year old and he could not help the irritation building up within him, but he supposed he could deal with it for a little while longer, if only to reassure them. They had a hard path ahead of them.

Jet black eyes continued to watch the orange tinted horizon as these thoughts recounted inside his mind. It was a good exercise, Chopper had said, if he'd try and remember everything in the past five months. Luffy knew he won't be able to, but he'll try anyway. Even if it made his head hurt like hell.

Light footsteps alerted him of a new visitor and he almost sighed tiredly, but managed to abstain and shoot Lucy a mental glare.

Luffy turned his head around to see Brook place a familiar, long lost friend on his head and he grinned through the newly formed tears. The material was rough under his fingers and it felt good to have the yellow straw hat on his head again. It brought him so many memories and feelings that the pirate felt overwhelmed for a short moment.

A sudden memory, of his hand reaching for this very hat but finding nothing appeared inside his mind and his grin receded into a wavy smile. That was about the time he had met Kiiro in the Outer Districts. The blonde haired boy's face popped in his mind and Luffy allowed himself to close his eyes for a moment and reminiscence about their strange adventures inside those walls.

 _Kiiro will have his own adventure now. Outside that cage of gold._

The blonde boy had been taken in by Koala after he insisted he wanted to see the freedom Luffy was talking about. Of course, leaving a child with pirates was never a good idea, but the Revolutionary Army was the closest thing to a safe place and a way of getting to know the world they lived in. Besides, those people could take care of children, unlike the Strawhats or Law. As much as it had hurt, Luffy had to admit that they wouldn't have been able to take care of him, considering their current situation. Maybe in the future, if the kid was still up to it...

"You have been so silent these past few days it breaks my heart, Luffy-san. Though I don't have one, yohoho!" Brook's trademark skull joke inevitably brought a smile on his face again.

"Yeah, sorry." The raven head scratched his head.

A small silence ensued, broken by Brook after a few minutes.

"Do you feel uncertain about what we should do now?" The skeleton's face was looking for his reaction curiously. His question was no more out of the blue than all the others his friends had asked.

As if a door had been unlocked, Luffy suddenly felt like all the thoughts muddling inside his brain for the last week melted away, leaving only a calm sort of peace and Lucy's voice. Laughter bubbled inside his chest and exploded from his mouth, successfully scaring his musician and the people on the deck.

Luffy laughed at the absurd question, at everything that happened in the last few days and at the world in general, and he jumped up from his spot, intent on making one thing clear. He unconsciously touched the purple material tightened on his wrist, before his hands went to his hips and a grin that was wider than any he had ever displayed came onto his face, unbidden.

"There are tons of places and adventures waiting for us in the New World! And I'm gonna become the Pirate King!"

His declaration was met with a stunned silence before Usopp cheered out loud. The others shook their surprise off and with a newfound vigor, cheered as well.

With a large intake of breath, Luffy threw his hands in the air in a very familiar motion and yelled.

"RAISE THE SAILS!"

* * *

"You should have seen all those crazy pirates march out of there, it was really a sight to behold!" Shanks chuckled, slapping his knee.

The person on the other line laughed softly along with him, before asking. " _And Luffy-kun? How is he?_ "

Her voice was almost hesitant and the pirate grimaced when he thought about the answer.

"He's fine, physically. Rayleigh said there were a few after effects of the treatment he received in Mariejois. Something about a serum and that it was a change too abrupt when he regained his memories..." The red head trailed off, awaiting an answer.

After a while, the silence became too much for him.

"... Makino? You still awake?"

" _Yes, sorry. I was just thinking_." The woman sighed tiredly. " _Is he going to be alright? That's the only thing I want to know for now_."

Shanks smiled, though she couldn't see him. "Yeah, sure he will. That kid is tough. 'Sides, a whole army of pirates invaded the Holy Capital for him, I doubt he'd let himself fail them."

His smile dropped a little seeing the snail still sporting a downcast expression. "Luffy's strong, we gotta trust him, that's all."

The snail's eyes looked upwards and Makino's small smile was reflected on the creature's green face.

" _You're right. I'm going to make sure I tell everyone that he's okay. Thanks for the words of encouragement, Captain_."

The woman's grin was almost tangible and it made Shanks happy that he managed to reassure her that Luffy was going to be fine. The entire Fuchsia Village had not been the same in these past months as far as he had heard.

A sudden shout from outside on the deck made Shanks groan and Makino giggle.

" _Go on, you're called, Captain_."

The red head rubbed his head in desperation. "I'm gonna call later. Seems like Benny's in one of those moods."

With a last goodbye, the snail went back to sleep and Shanks made his way on the deck, wondering what his First Mate was on about.

 _Marco's already left and old man Rayleigh said I'm free of duty. So what...?_

Opening the door to his cabin, the red head came nose to nose with Buggy. The clown pirate glared at him heatedly. Behind him, Mr. 3 adjusted his glasses, looking infinitely more polite than his childhood comrade.

"Cap', these two just randomly landed on our ship." Ben crossed his arms, giving Shanks a _you're-alone-on-this-one_ look. Said captain's eye twitched.

"We'd like you to give us a lift, if possible."

Mr. 3's polite plea was shadowed by Buggy's own wild one.

"You're at fault for me being here so you better shut up and bring us where I tell you, you red headed bastard from hell. You and that stupid old man!"

Shanks rubbed his temple at the high volume and allowed himself to groan.

 _Why._

* * *

Crocodile groaned again when he heard the kid have another smart argument with Mr. 1. The former prisoner didn't know how he got himself stuck with the black haired child, but he did. And what followed was not what he'd call a relaxing week full of no babysitting shit.

The orange haired navigator of the Strawhats had definitely argued that he shouldn't take the kid with him and Crocodile had been completely fine with that. He even flung the unsuspecting boy at them without warning.

Unfortunately, that bastard Cavendish had allied himself with Rayleigh of all people against him. Those two had said that it was his fault the child was there in the first place and that he should deal with it.

The Devil Fruit user had tried numerous times to leave the boy at the gates of Mariejois, or even lose him through the city, but the boy followed him like a leech and even with all his sand powers, he couldn't slip past him.

Cursing himself and his inability to lose a fucking _kid_ in a crowd, Crocodile had resigned himself to take care of the green eyed boy, if nothing else. He'd make a good damn pirate out of him and, if this one will be successful, Mr. 1 had suggested he start some kind of training facility to do just this, only with kidnapped kids.

The black haired man was definitely sold on the idea of loyal soldiers that have been trained properly under his supervision.

Plans for the future set, Crocodile allowed himself a moment of relaxation and agreed that he deserved a pat on the back for a plan well thought. Now if that Strawhat won't get himself killed again and make world news, then all the better. The former War Lord had a nagging feeling that Rayleigh wouldn't let him walk out of another rescue mission, even if his business with the raven haired pirate was done and over.

He supposed he just had to play it safe and stay out of his reach.

A sudden thought assaulted his mind and Crocodile looked towards the kid. He was playing with some sand from the beach of the no name island they were on. The pirate was lounging on a boulder again and his subordinate was just behind him, reading the newspaper… again.

"By the way kid," Crocodile began uncertainly, "what's your name?"

* * *

Vivi hugged her father tightly, before she stepped back to wave at Dressrosa's ship as it slowly disappeared on the horizon. The blue haired woman smiled as she recounted everything that had happened this past month.

She was very happy that Luffy was back and healthy, sailing in the New World's waters with his crew, just as he was meant to. The princess was also glad that she had managed to give a helping hand in rescuing the straw hat wearer. Even if she hadn't done much, she was content with the end result.

With the smiling faces of her friends in mind, Vivi stepped away from the cliffs they were standing on, overlooking Grand Line's waters and smiled at her father.

She had so many stories to tell him.

* * *

Rebecca watched the sun dip slowly on the horizon and allowed herself to smile in content, head leaning on her hand.

"Am I seeing a sad smile on your face?" Kyros grinned when he saw his daughter give him a small glare.

"Don't be mistaken, I'm glad it's over."

"Me too. Unfortunately, I could only help a little bit."

The rose haired girl shook her head. "You've done lots."

The black haired man crossed his arms and smiled. "But you've done a lot more. I can't wait to hear all about it."

Dressrosa's princess beamed up at him. "Sure!"

* * *

Dragon rubbed at his temples slowly, before he allowed his eyes to lift up again. The sight that greeted him was something out of a story with idiots.

And he did not like stories, or idiots.

Koala and Sabo's return to Baltigo had been full of sparks, from what Ivankov had told him. But the time _after_ that was hell itself. The two had been arguing nonstop and it was making every officer in his army unhappy to say the least. Not to mention that they had been mostly useless and no one- not even him- could get something out of them more than a few words, that had mostly to do with irrelevant things.

Between the fist fights and the choice words, there were some recountings of their time spent with Rayleigh and in Mariejois, respectively. Those were the only things worth listening for. Besides that, nothing else could be extracted from them.

Not to mention they returned with a kid of all things. Dragon wasn't sure when his army became a kindergarten, but he sure did not plan on expanding his field of activity. Well, Kiiro wasn't spoiled, at least not as far as they've seen. And he looked docile and obedient. Maybe he'd become a real asset for the revolutionaries if he survived the training and trials he will be subjected to.

Sighing tiredly, the black haired man shook his head. He would be obviously fighting a losing battle if he tried to stop them, as he had learned from experience. So the head of the Revolutionary Army decided to let them run out of steam and simply ignore them.

Yes, that would be the best choice.

 _Purupurupuru_ -katchin

" _LUFFY'S HEALTHY AND BACK IN THE NEW WORLD. I'M SO GLAD-_ "

... Assuming Garp wouldn't have called to add to his misery.

* * *

Coby smiled as he saw his superior shout on the phone, talking to his son.

He and Helmeppo were standing just shy of opening the door and getting out of there, but Garp wouldn't let them, saying that they'd have to endure some kind of punishment training. Coby had seen it coming, but it didn't make him feel any less unwilling to do it. Next to him, Helmeppo groaned, clearly not up to it either.

"Say," the Captain whispered to his friend, "how much time would it take us to get in one piece to Headquarters?"

The blonde thought this over for a moment before he whispered back. "Considering we make ourselves scarce and take the first patrol boat out of Sabaody, I'd say a week."

Coby nodded, eyes still on the snivellingman. "I'm in."

Helmeppo was waiting for that.

Throwing the door open with the reflex of a ninja, he bolted right out, Coby hot on his heels. They made a beeline out of there and were disguised and hidden in less than fifteen minutes.

Garp's shouts were already beginning to be heard throughout the island, but the Marine vessel that was supposed to take them back to Headquarters had already departed, with Coby and Helmeppo's hurried orders on their way out.

"A week should be enough to calm him down." The pink haired soldier commented absently, watching something explode on the deck. The shouts of his comrades made him wince.

Helmeppo snorted.

"You think they still got those posts in Mariejois open?"

* * *

Smoker crossed his arms, leaning back in his comfortable chair and enjoying the sound of his superior's angry shouts.

"What the hell was in that head of yours when you went to Mariejois?!" Sakazuki glowered, his teeth so clenched, his jaw trembled. "If the Gorosei realized who you are, the entire Marine organization is going to be in deep shit."

The white haired man almost rolled his eyes, but decided to be at least _a little_ respectful. As if.

"But they won't. So calm down already. I was careful."

The Fleet Admiral did not look like he was buying it, but he did not comment further. Instead, the two had a stare contest which resulted in the lava man sighing tiredly.

"Please tell me you at least abstained from interfering with those pirates too much."

As if summoned by the Devil himself, a poor soldier knocked on the office door. His face was a mixture of confusion and disbelief when he took in his superior.

"Fleet Admiral, sir. News from the North Blue Marine Unit 15 have just arrived." He extended a folder filled with paperwork.

Sakazuki sighed again as he reached for the bulky thing. "Anything of importance?"

The man grimaced and eyed Smoker for a moment. The Fleet Admiral knew he won't like what he'd hear.

"They said that Vice Admiral Smoker was sighted on 'Surgeon of Death' Trafalgar Law's ship."

Smoker shrugged the glare away. He was just about to shoo the man before he spilled anything more, but he wasn't fast enough.

"They also said that he destroyed at least half of their ships along with former Shichibukai, Crocodile."

"SMOKER."

* * *

"What in the world are you doing?!" Cavendish glowered as he took in the sight in front of him. The blonde haired pirate was clearly not in the mood for the shit Bartolomeo was currently neck deep in.

"Redecorating." The green haired man explained absently, moving another piece of furniture- _Cavendish's precious furniture_ \- out of the way.

"Why? And why on my ship of all places!" His glare did nothing to deter the bastard in the slightest. His fingers twitched, itching to give him a nice pattern with his sword.

"Because this has to be on all the ships, yours included, cabbage. Now shut up, I'm trying to put the finishing touches to my creation." The Devil Fruit user spoke, all the while his hands twiddling with something in front of him.

Suddenly, Strawhat Luffy's large, wall height photo somehow sprouted from the ground and glued itself on his cabin's wall.

When the insufferable green head stepped back, Cavendish's jaw fell as the reality of what the freak had just constructed slapped him in the face.

"Why the fuck did you built an altar?! He's not dead, goddammit!"

His cries made most of his crew stop and look in the direction of said cabin. It did not help that the door was open.

"I know, you idiot!" Bartolomeo took another step back, admiring his work with a critic's eye. "But that's exactly why I've built it! Everyone needs to pray at the amazing Luffy-senpai!"

His cries made the blonde pirate in front of him take a step back and shake his head. That man had entered full fanboy mode.

 _Not good._

"The hell are you spouting from your mouth now!"

The ship suddenly rocked and Cavendish turned his head around in time to see the other representatives climb aboard. Judging by Sai's livid face and Ideo's twitching eyebrow, nothing good awaited the barrier freak. Only Leo was smiling amiably and the blonde swordsman had to ask himself why.

"What the hell are with those altars of Strawhat on our ships, Bartolomeo?!" The others, minus Leo, shouted collectively.

Cavendish took a side step closer to them. He'd like to join in the skewering of Bartolomeo too.

Suddenly, Leo grinned and spoke.

"I'd like to request more candles for our altar, Barto-land. We've already burned them out praying."

" _WHAT_!"

* * *

Perona hummed a new cursed song she had learned just yesterday in a melancholic kind of rhythm. Despite the small movement of her head in time with said pace, her eyes were distant, fixed on the dark horizon.

A small breeze whistled, making the fin trees surrounding the castle give an even more eerie atmosphere.

"As much as I appreciate the silence, it surprises me you are so quiet." The deadpan voice behind her made her huff reflexively.

Pink locks flew in time with the turning of her head and she glared at Mihawk.

"You should stop complaining then."

The swordsman smirked, something that immediately struck her as suspicious. The man wanted something.

"What do you want?"

Her thoughts were confirmed when he replied easily.

"I've heard you got yourself in another mess with the Strawhats." He sighed, sitting himself on the lounge chair, glass of wine in hand. "How was my precious student doing?"

The mocking voice made her roll her eyes. Clearly the man wanted to know if Zoro got more powerful.

Deciding that she didn't have anything else to do in that moment, she supposed she'll indulge him. If only to have something to blackmail him with later.

* * *

Elder Nyon watched with exasperated eyes the black haired woman in front of her. The pirate Empress was currently acting like a love-struck teenage girl again, doing silly little pirouettes around the room and writing yet another love letter to that clueless raven head that she was so in love with. At least that was an improvement from the desolate atmosphere that had been permeating the island in the last months. It felt like everything was back to normal again.

Taking a long look at the half meter stack, the older woman decided to screw this along with normality. They didn't have enough trees to make paper for Hancock to write all her love letters on.

"Get a hold of yourself, Hebihime!"

* * *

Admiral Fujitora listened closely to what the officer, who came to report, was telling them and slowly shook his head. It was no wonder that everything had gone to hell. All because of the corrupt government that was leading this world into chaos, if nothing else.

The man had been saddened to hear Strawhat Luffy was deemed dead, even if he knew from his dice gambling game with Sengoku, that it was not the case at all- the pirate was alive. And now a major break-in, that only served to question everyone's trust in the Government further, had happened.

It just went to show how everything could crumble down at the slightest touch; lives, money, pirates, nobles, everything that strayed too close to the source of all disgrace in this world- in his opinion- could very well be only mud on the ground. Their blasted way showed no mercy and no merits were given to anyone that could do such thing.

Tsuru eyed her two companions, before her eyes locked on the now silent man. Nodding her head in thanks for the news he brought, the old woman looked back at an inwardly fuming Admiral Fujitora and a laughing Sengoku.

The man looked completely unconcerned, if a little miffed by the whole situation. The permanent upward curve of his mouth was a dead giveaway that he could have cared less if the Marines ended up in deep shit or not and the twinkle in his eyes condemned him to the fact that he'd have thoroughly enjoyed such thing happening- along with a side-dish of the current Fleet Admiral being skewered in front of him for good measure.

"These years have transformed you into a reckless fool, Sengoku. Stop wishing such grim things." Tsuru shook her head again, her eyes becoming slits.

The white haired man boomed a laugh, spitting some of his crackers with the motion. When he spoke, both the Admiral and the Vice Admiral could see flower fields open up behind him.

"I can do whatever I want now, Tsuru. It's not my problem anymore!"

The last part of his sentence was mostly said for his own entertainment as the man continued to laugh merrily, definitely opting to ignore Issho's growing ire or her own tremendous sigh of exasperation.

* * *

Trafalgar Law watched the unknown island they were planning to dock on grow ever closer. His narrowed eyes tried to concentrate on any attack that might happen, but in reality his efforts proved fruitless.

His jumbled thoughts continuously returned to the happenings of the last few months and the doctor had to admit that Rayleigh's plan had been impossible from the very beginning. The very foundations of it had been out of this world, culminating with the Mariejois break in. Law was sure the former pirate had known it. Hell, the man surely must have seen how absurd his concocted strategy had been.

Entering Impel Down- _fine_. Entering the Holy Capital _Mariejois_ and escaping without any casualties besides that red haired girl was _unimaginable_. It was simply defying the very laws of nature! Though, he had a nagging feeling that none of their enemies really tried, something that served to make him even more astonished.

A distant memory of long lost words spoken what felt like ages ago resurfaced in his memory.

 _"The Straw Hat crew has left nothing but sheer miracles in its wake."_

Miracles? Yes. True miracles.

Though the doctor felt like this time, the Strawhats weren't the ones pulling all the magic tricks.

 _"Surely, D will once again call forth a storm!"_

That Strawhat-ya, however amnesiac he was, somehow did it again.

"He called freaking miracles without even knowing it."

"You still on about that?"

The voice next to him snapped him back to reality. Law looked to the side just in time to see Jinbei prepare to dive into the dark waters.

"Thanks for bringing us here."

The fishman nodded. "You shouldn't beat yourself up about what happened." Jinbei cracked his knuckles. "Luffy is a strange enough fellow. If you start to analyze everything, you'd never see him as a normal person again."

The blue skinned man chuckled at the resigned expression on the doctor's face. Saying his goodbyes, Jinbei disappeared to the ocean's depths, leaving Law with his thoughts once again.

Dark eyes watched the purple tinted horizon with a detached light and only a sentence spoken by the man who he will always admire broke his line of thought. After everything that he had seen happening in Mariejois, Law could only agree.

 _"And in a certain land, there are those who call the line of D by another name. The 'Natural Enemies of the Gods'."_

* * *

 **A/N: Happy holidays! :'D  
**

 **I've come back from the depths of mountains of food and, since today, snow to post this last chapter.**

 **BlackGryphon101, I managed to include the Fujitora and Sengoku part... I hope I did it justice :D Credit goes to you for reminding me about them xD**

 **Hopefully, the ending does everything justice too o3o**

 **I feel pretty sad that this fic is over, even if I finished it for a long time now sniff**

 **On another note, for those who have read The Reverie did not see it coming, you'll have a little surprise next year! .3.**

 **And some other OP fics will pop up too xD  
**

 **So with everything said, I wish you Happy New Years! ^^**

 **Reviews and Feedback are loved!**


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